The Dragon Knight: Sieghart
by AZ23AJ
Summary: As being neglected and bashed from his own now the former family wasn't enough, they sold him off in the black market, being far away from the hell. Not losing hope and believing something far greater at their caused the Greater Grail to have the young boy become its champion and one day save the new world from the evil and corruption that lives within.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 First Meeting**

**AN: This story was inspired by ****D-nasty and his Akame ga Kill and Naruto crossover story. **

** Numb by Linkin Park**

** (Roads to the Capital)**

On the road towards the Imperial Capital, a young man slowly strolled into town. From a quick analysis one could see that he was in his late teens. He had silverish white, spiky hair. Moreover his ocean blue eyes gave him quite the elegant atmosphere. Most people however would focus on his lean yet muscular build, a sleeveless black shirt that tightly hugged his chest, fingerless gloves with, black pants, and combat boots.

This was Naruto Sieghart — a Pseudo-servant chosen by Alaya to free this kingdom of its corrupt rulers.

A total of three months had passed since Naruto first appeared in the east. In that time, he trekked across entire countries in order to reach the Empire of the West. Along the way, Naruto spent all the time he could learning of the peoples struggles, and all the ways the Empire had wronged them. Murder, rape, kidnapping, slavery. Everywhere Naruto went the darkness of this world would show itself. As a result, he became increasingly willing to just storm the Imperial Palace and finish off the corruption by killing the fat pig in charge.

But things were never that simple to begin with.

As powerful as his experiences in the Throne of Heroes made him, Naruto could still be hurt by a set of special weapons forged in this world long ago — the Teigu, otherwise known as Imperial Arms. Their Trump Cards in particular could be troublesome to deal with if one wasn't careful.

Over those initial three months, Naruto battled agents of the Empire and as a result came across several Teigu. He collected them on a whim, but had no real use for them since he could never get them to work like his opponents did.

In his journey he heard rumors of a group of killers working under the Revolutionary Army. Night Raid was their name as he recalled.

"Time to see what this place has to offer…" Naruto remarked to himself as he finally reached the city's gates.

Nightfall was just around the corner, so he had no time to waste. The knight dashed into the Capital at lightning speed as his armor began to come onto his body like shattered pieces of glass before they hardened and melded into a cohesive whole. The armor was draconic in nature and jet black in coloring. Its plates were heavy, spiky, and covered most of his arm, legs, and chest area. The areas not covered by the armor such as his inner thigh were enveloped in leathering and chainmail. Lastly his mouth and the sides of his face were hidden by a mask-like piece of armor that somewhat resembled the face of a dragon.

In no time at all the knight found himself standing atop a roof overlooking the city. Somewhere amidst that godforsaken place he would find the members of Night Raid.

"Show yourselves…" he whispered whilst perching down and observing the many streets of that new environment.

Amid the endless urban chaos of that sprawling cityscape, a certain group in the southeast came to the knight's attention. Several young individuals both male and female were standing on a thin wire overlooking a large manor while the blood red moonlight loomed over them like an omen of death.

Without delay, Naruto leaped into action flying over several buildings in a single bound. Upon reaching his destination, Naruto landed on the branch of a tall tree in the large mansion's garden area.

A small, one sided skirmish between a group of guards working for the noble family and Night Raid had begun. Despite being a newcomer, Naruto managed to easily identify those he was looking for thanks to the skills he inherited from Jeanne D'Arc. Their names, special skills, and weapons. It was all revealed to the Dragon Knight like it would be to a Ruler in a Grail War. Akame, Leone, Mine, Lubbock, and Bulat were the members of Night Raid accounted for so far.

"Hmm this should be interesting," Naruto muttered to himself as he watched Akame fight a teenager with emerald green eyes and light brown hair. He wanted to see how this battle in particular would play out.

The boy named Tatsumi tried his best to protect the girl Aria after Akame killed her last guard, but it was easy to see he was severely outclassed. Their bout barely lasted an instant, but just when Akame was about to effortlessly deal the finishing blow, she was stopped by Leone who would later tell Tatsumi what the family he was protecting had been doing.

Of course Tatsumi didn't believe her at first, but that changed when Leone showed him what kind of horrors were kept in the family's storehouse. Dead bodies covered in blood, broken corpses hanging from the ceiling, living ones left in cages, but the big shocker came after Tatsumi saw his two friends inside.

This caused Aria to snap and show her true colors. An enraged Tatsumi would then kill the little bitch with one slash before he fell to his knees, dread and despair taking over his mind.

Taking pity on them, Naruto jumped from the tree and down onto the ground getting everyone's attention.

"Who are you?" Akame inquired.

"Relax, I'm just here to help Tatsumi and heal his friends," Naruto replied as he walked toward the storehouse and grabbed something from his coat.

"I hate to tell you this… but they're pretty much dead. There's no way to heal them," Leone informed.

Naruto shook his head. "That's where you're wrong."

The knight then walked into the scene and started to work his magic. He pulled out a myriad of elixirs and healing agents from his pockets. He placed the medication beside the bodies, a bright blue and green radiance surrounding them.

"There we go," Naruto spoke up after a minute shocking everyone with his healing abilities.

The injuries on Tatsumi's friends started to heal and disappeared. When he was done, Naruto stood up and did a final check on them making sure their vitals were clear.

"They're good as new," Naruto confidently remarked with a smile. Finally Tatsumi and his friends were reunited.

"I-I don't believe it," Tatsumi muttered.

"Incredible," Akame mumbled to herself, stunned at this turn of events. Likewise, the other members of Night Raid were equally stunned by what the knight had just accomplished.

"Ugh...," Ieyasu groaned while getting up. Sayo also got up a few seconds later.

"Ieyasu! Sayo! You're ok!" Tatsumi shouted in disbelief.

"But how? I don't understand," Ieyasu said

while touching his own body.

"That was my doing," Naruto began to explain, "I used a special elixir to heal your injuries and restore your bodies to normal."

"Who are you?" Sayo asked.

"You can call me the Dragon Knight," Naruto replied with a grin underneath his facemask.

"You're the Dragon Knight?! We've heard the stories!" Tatsumi shouted.

"He has been known to help the innocent and give them better lives," Akame added.

"So, what is a guy like yourself doing around here?" Leone inquired after placing her left hand on her hip.

"Well… I'm actually here for you, Night Raid," Naruto swiftly replied.

"Why is that?" Akame questioned.

"Simple, I want to join your group," Naruto stated plainly.

"But before I join...I want to test you guys and see if you have the bite to backup your bark," Naruto gave his ultimatum before drawing out one of his swords, Gram, and pointing it at the assassins.

"Oh? You wanna see if we got what it takes huh? Think you can handle us by yourself?" Leone chuckled.

Naruto grinned in response. "Only one way to find out!"

The Dragon Knight against Night Raid. Of course, this wasn't a battle to death, but it was an exciting confrontation nonetheless.

* * *

**Theme of Infinite (One of Naruto's Theme Songs)**

**Background**  
Naruto Sieghart (Formerly Naruto Uzumaki) is the son of Minato Namikaze. Born into a warring world of shinobi as a chakra-less child, Naruto from birth was deemed a worthless existence unworthy of his bloodline. As such Naruto was disowned by his family when he was two years old and soon after ended up being bought by a child trafficking ring.

At some point after almost two decades of slavery and despicable punishments, Naruto was called upon by Alaya — the embodiment of mankind's will and the entity behind the Counter Force. It offered him freedom and a chance to experience life anew in the form of a Pseudo-Counter Guardian/Servant trained by the Heroic Spirits in the Throne of Heroes.

The motives behind Alaya's decision to save Naruto remain a mystery to this day. Nevertheless, the boy took his chances.

In the Throne of Heroes, Naruto was adopted by the spirit of the Holy Virgin Jeanne D'Arc and the Homunculus Turned Hero; Sieg. The two became his new parents and guided his path to becoming the Dragon Knight.

Currently Naruto is on a mission to save the world of Akame ga Kill! from its corrupt Empire.

**Name:** Naruto Sieghart (Formerly Naruto Uzumaki)

**Classification:** Silver Knight of Justice, Knight of Night Raid, Dragon Knight, Naruto Uzumaki (Former)

**Hair:** Silverish White. Blonde (Former)

**Eyes:** Blue

**Age:** 18

**Attire:** Naruto's looks are based off Sigurd Stage 1,2,3 from Fate Grand Order.

**Likes:** his New Family & Friends, his Girlfriends, gardening, cooking, reading, and helping those in need.

**Dislikes:** his Biological Family and the Capital's corrupt government.

**Relatives:**

Minato Namikaze (Father-Disowned)

Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze (Mother-Disowned)

Menma Namikaze (Brother-Disowned)

Mito Uzumaki (Sister-Disowned)

Throne of Heroes (Home-Adopted Family)

**Powers and abilities:** Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Master hand-to-hand combatant, Master Swordsman, Skilled Knife wielder, Expert Marksman, Master Spearman and Combatant, Invulnerability (Armor of Fafnir automatically nullifies any attacks and magical spells below a certain rank and dulls the effects of any it can't completely nullify, reducing attacks that would normally rip off his limbs to minor scratches), Enhanced Senses, Stealth Mastery, Curse Manipulation (Can materialize his knives within an opponent, given that the conditions are met, as a curse), Acid Manipulation (The Mist allows him to reproduce the sulfuric acid laden smog of Victorian Era England and spread it across a given area), Smoke Manipulation, Forcefield Creation with Luminosité Eternelle, Fire Manipulation (Can imbue his attacks with fire to substantially boost their power, range, and speed), Flight (Can effectively fly by using his Mana Burst (Flames) on his feet or cape)

ElectricityManipulation with Vasavi Shakti, Homing Attack with Brahmastra, and Galvanism, Energy Absorption (Galvanism absorbs energy and other immaterial forms of attack, converting them into electricity), Statistics Amplification (Can use the energy he absorbs to increase his strength and speed), Soul Manipulation (All Servants can consume souls to replenish their magical energy), Intangibility and Invisibility in spirit form, Immunity to Modern Weapons (Servants are Divine Mysteries that cannot be harmed by modern weapons such as guns, knives, or bombs unless they are infused with a supernatural aspect such as magical energy or possess a certain amount of age), Resistance to Magic (Including magical effects such as Petrification, Spatial Manipulation, and Mind Manipulation), Regeneration (All Servants have regenerative capabilities)

Can instantly discern the personalities of others and whether or not they're lying, His armor conceptually reduces all damage dealt to him by 90%, Resistance to Matter Manipulation, Soul Manipulation, Information Manipulation, Probability Manipulation, Time Manipulation, Reality Warping, Causality Manipulation, Life Manipulation, Death Manipulation, Existence Erasure, Fate Manipulation, Probability Manipulation, Mind Manipulation, Power Nullification and Illusion Creation,

* * *

Acausality (Type 1) with Kavacha and Kundala (Even with the Authority of the Earth Mother Goddess, BB found it impossible to modify or otherwise destroy Kavacha and Kundala. Karna is described as being difficult for even the Gods, who have dominion over concepts of time, civilization, and other aspects of reality, to destroy. The authority of the Moon Cell was completely unable to destroy the armor, allowing Karna's master to leave the Moon Cell safely. Survived for over a week even when the Moon Cell's authority should have destroyed him upon his defeat despite giving his armor to Jinako. Kaito scales to this due to having the same equipment and training under Karna)

**Equipment:** Gram: Dawn of Ruin "Sword of the Sun", Balmung: Phantasmal Greatsword, Various Noble Phantasms (Weaker copies from his adopted Family), Armor of Fafnir, Kavacha and Kundala, Vasavi Shakti.

_Naruto's theme songs are: Infinite (Top)_

_Untraveled Road by Thousand Foot Krutch_

_In My Remains by Linkin Park_

_I Beg You by Aimer_

_Brave Shine by Aimer_

** Grail's Servants: **

Jeanne D'Arc (Ruler): Naruto and Jeanne shared a son and mother relationship.

Sieg (Caster): Naruto and Sieg shared a son and father relationship.

Amakusa Shirou Tokisada (Ruler): Naruto and Shirou shared a nephew and uncle relationship.

Mordred (Saber): Once siblings, but now Naruto and Mordred are a couple with other girls in the young man's harem.

Atalanta (Archer): Once siblings, but now Naruto and Atalanta are a couple with other girls in the young man's harem.

Karna (Lancer): Naruto and Karna shared a little and older brother relationship.

Astolfo (Female) (Rider): Once siblings, but now Naruto and Astolfo are a couple with other girls in the young man's harem.

Semiramis (Caster): Naruto and Semiramis shared a nephew and aunt relationship.

Jack the Ripper (Assassin): Naruto and Jack shared an older brother and little sister relationship.

Frankenstein (Berserker): Naruto and Fran shared an brother and sister relationship.

**Naruto's Servants: **

Musashi Miyamoto (Saber): Naruto and Musashi shared a couple's relationship.

Tomoe Gozen (Archer): Naruto and Tomoe shared a couple's relationship.

Scathach (Lancer): Naruto and Scathach shared a couple's relationship.

Medusa (Rider): Naruto and Medusa shared a couple's relationship.

Medea (Caster): Naruto and Medea shared a couple's relationship.

Kato Danzo (Assassin): Naruto and Kato shared a couple's relationship.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 Joining Night Raid P1**

The Night Raid had charged in first while Naruto stands his ground and waited for his opponents to get close. He had face groups of assassins before, but most of those were part of his training and some were low-class grunts, but this was different as these assassins were trained and have interesting Teigu. So, the knight will have to be careful, but something happens.

Six figures appeared out of nowhere and took Night Raid down by a surprise attack, getting Naruto taken back at this and know who they are. All six were young mature women and happen to know the knight very well as they are protecting him from the assassins. They were his Servants he summoned to this world from the Throne and in the order, they are Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, and Assassin.

Saber had swung her left leg into Akame's, getting the red-eyed sword wielder off her feet and into the ground. She was shocked and tried to get back up to her feet but was stopped by two kanatas formed into X and were on her throat. The Assassin of Night Raid never saw such speed before and couldn't move.

Archer had used her spear bottom tip to swing hard into the lioness's stomach, knocking the wind out of her and coughed up for air as she landed on her knees. Leone was about to get up and show this samurai whose boss but was slammed back into the ground by the spear and saw that white-haired woman was not letting her. So, she placed her spear at blonde's back neck and made sure she didn't even try.

Lance easy took Bulat by surprise with a few powerful and quick swings of her spear, disarming him and having two red spears posted for a deadly strike. One at the head and other to the heart, stopping the knight in his tracks and couldn't risk a move yet.

The Rider Servant had tried up Lubbock in chains and held dragger at his neck, making sure he didn't do anything funny or flex his wires out.

Mine was about to open fire with her sniper at the unknown attackers but stopped dead in her tracks as she felt cold steel touching her throat and caused her heart to beat out of control. The Assassin had appeared behind the snipper and placed her short kanata on the neck, holding the sniper back from attacking or making a move.

Caster was at Naruto's, having her right hand outwards and ready to fire any magecraft attacks for anyone enemies that may be hiding which she found three and was about to open fire. This caused Tatsumi, Sayo, and Ieyasu to turn paled with their eyes widen, but stopped and sighed in relief when the knight stopped the hooded woman from attacking them. Soon the friends started to talk over a few things.

"Girls, what is the meaning of this?" Naruto questioned, wondering why his girls attack all the sudden.

The Servants blinked a few times of the knight's question and wonder why he will ask that since they save him.

"We are protecting you from these assassins and their Teigus," Caster answered.

Naruto smiled a little that his lovers would project, need to explain a few things and said, "Girls, I'm very grateful, but this group happens to be the one I have been searching for. They are Night Raid."

This caused to Servants to let go of the assassins and felt ashamed. Can anyone blame them for what they did, but they were just protecting the shared man they love and is reasonable.

Saber let Akame go to her feet and said, "Sorry about that my fellow kanata wielder. I guess we saw things differently, but no harm was done, right?"

"I guess," Akame said as she got up on her feet and put her kanata away in its sheath, having a feeling that the spar won't happen.

Rider and Assassin let go of their hostage, having Mine and Lubbock sigh in relief that they can move.

Lancer placed her spears away from Bulat and allowed him to get his own spear back into his hands.

"Truly sorry about that, Miss lioness. We were just protecting our master, Naruto-kun," Archer said as she helped Leone up on her feet.

"That's fine. Just got off guard by that inhuman speed," Leone said as she rubbed the back of her head.

Naruto shook his head and said, "Sorry about that. These girls happen to be with me and can be little protected of me."

"Because it's for good reason. You do get into trouble, Naruto-kun," Caster said with a teasing smirk.

"Maybe, but I do have you, girls, to help me out, Caster-chan," Naruto said with a smirk.

Caster smiled at her shared lover's kindness and how much he can be happy to others than himself.

Once Night Raid had dust and gathered themselves up from the surprise attack, Naruto explained to them of why his Servants jump. It was reasonable as most people don't have all their faces on Wanted Posters yet and some don't even live to tell the tale of who they are. So very reasonable and the spar will have to be put on hold for now. Also, good news to the assassins, that the knight and his Servants will be more than happy to join with them in their group. Good news, but all sudden everyone started to hear something and could tell that a group was coming here.

"Troopers are coming to see the commotion that happened here," Naruto said with a frown underneath his faceguard and eyes narrowed little, being little upset that the dual will have to be on hold.

"We have to leave," Akame ordered as the members of Night Raid and new future members were about to leave, but stopped when…

"Hey! What about us?" Ieyasu called out as himself and his friends got off the brushes towards the group.

"We don't have time for questions. Just grab them and go," Leone said, having Bulat grabbing Tatsumi and Ieyasu to put them over his shoulders while Saber took Sayo into her arms.

Soon enough Night Raid, Naruto and his Servants with newcomers escaped the anyone watchful eyes by leaping into the air and vanishing into the darkness before the troopers came.

**Time Skip **

Two to three days have passed everything was alright for the most as Naruto and his Servants have made their mind up on joining up with Night Raid, but two things first. One that the leader of Night Raid must agree to new members joining and something tells everyone that she will agree. Two, Tatsumi, Sayo, and Ieyasu are still thinking about the offer of joining Night Raid.

So yeah there's that and moving on.

Naruto and his girls were outside, enjoying the good view of the sky. He was in his normal clothes and most girls are too. Saber, Archer, Lancer, and Assassin stay in their battle clothes with no weapons. Rider and Caster wore some civilian clothes.

"So, what do you girls think of Nigh Raid?" Naruto asked.

"Hmm alright for the most part. Some of them have great skills and Akame has the eyes of a Greatsword wielder like me," Saber happily replied with a careful smile, hoping to test the skills first hand.

"They have the makings of assassins and new members should join as they have the same markings," Assassin answered.

"Need some training in for Tatsumi and his friends, but I think things will work out just fine," Lancer said, having some training ideas for the young group of friends.

"Indeed. I hope we can spar a bit to make up for our attack a few nights ago," Archer said, hoping to have a good spar, but she or the other girls don't regret their actions as they were protecting their shared lover.

"It seems fair, but I don't think we will have some kinds of sparing once we join them," Rider said, making a good point.

"Indeed," Naruto and Caster agreed with the others as well, understanding it very well.

It will be bad to fight your fellow members of a team. So yeah there's was that.

"There you are," A familiar voice spoke, getting the group's attention and saw Leone with no lion ears, claws, and tail.

"I was wondering where you guys were at. I was about to go get the other three to see if they wanted to join us. Want to come with," Leone asked with a grin.

Naruto and his girls shared a look, seeing no harm and could help a lot in knowing their location and teammates.

"Sure thing," Naruto said, getting up on his feet and his Servants follow behind hide.

"We never really introduced ourselves, did we?" Leone asked.

"Nope," Naruto said before sticking his right hand out and said with a smile, "Naruto Sieghart, the Dragon Knight."

Leone grinned as shakes the knight's hand and said, "Leone, the Wild Women."

"A pleasure," Naruto said as he brought Leone's hand up and kissed it as a knight would to a princess, making the blonde blush and smiled at his forwardness.

The Servants raised an eyebrow with a smirk on their faces at this, knowing their shared lover very well and his luck to bump into women in his life. So, no harm as he has a big heart for that one girl in his life and sees no harm in that. But if another woman wants to join in the knight's harem, then a big talk needs to be sure of their true feelings first. Now moving on.

"Oh, this is Saber-chan, Archer-chan, Lancer-chan, Rider-chan, Caster-chan, and Assassin-chan," Naruto said, introducing his Servants to the blonde.

"Greetings/Hello/Hey Leone," The Servants greeted in their own.

"Odd names?" Leone commented, not hearing those names before.

Quickly covering it and making the good point, Naruto then said, "They have true names, but not right now. They will share it once everyone is with us. That way we can avoid telling twice."

It makes sense and a good point was made.

"Alright. Well let's go grab Tatsumi, Sayo, and Ieyasu," Leone said with a shrug of her shoulders and leave it alone for now as they go and find the three.

**Small Time Skip **

A trip around the base was alright, to say the least. The base was inside of a mountain and was almost like a mansion inside. The group was first introduced to Sheele, who was an airhead and gave the three possible members to think about joining, but if they don't and they will die. Some convincing and the three people to sweat dropped at that.

Soon enough a certain pinky came by, Mine was very upset of newcomers and say that they fail with the makings of an assassin. It took Naruto and Rider to hold back the black-haired assassin from getting the pinky which the knight changed around with some teasing and caused the sniper to blush in that which she yelled at him. That caused some more laughs, teasing and yelling to pass along. Good so far, but let's move on to the training field.

Leone had the group met Bulat and told them he was gay, making Tatsumi and Ieyasu paled, and Sayo gaped at the black-haired man shy blush face. However, the Servants had their weapons pointed at him and stood in front of Naruto, not wanting some gay getting a foot close to him. Oh yeah, there was that.

The trip was stopped by a certain green-haired pervert, who got some fingers broken and Lubbock got off lucky. If he tried to spy on Naruto's girls, well he will lose his balls and might need a good doctor.

Night time come as the sun was setting and now just one more member to meet.

"Now we get to meet our next member," Leone said as she leads the group towards a stream and small canyon.

"I think I've seen enough," Tatsumi with a sigh, not wanting to meet another member.

"I agree. Meeting all these different people in Night Raid is exhausting," Ieyasu said, grumbling.

"Each personality is way different from a group of assassins," Sayo agreed.

"Yeah, but you forget something. Assassins are people too and like any other person they have emotions are quirks like everyone else," Naruto said, getting the three to look at him.

"Naruto-kun's right. Everyone is different from each other and makes things interesting with your emotional quirks at work," Assassin agreed/added.

Saber smiled happily and said, "They seem to be fine by me. And I wonder who the next member is?"

"And here she is. Up next is a pretty lady," Leone answered with a grin as the group comes around the corner to see a small campfire with an evil bird being cooked.

Akame was sitting in front of the evil bird in a chair, eating a piece of meat. She was without her coat, belt with a side skirt, gauntlets and gloves, and her katana.

"Over there is Akame. Isn't she cute?" Leone asked.

"How…," Tatsumi muttered, not believing what the girl that tried to kill him was eating.

"Is she eating an evil-bird?" Ieyasu asked.

"She killed it alone?" Sayo said, breathing in amazing.

Naruto and his girls were okay with as they hunt some Danger Beast down for food or warmth. So, seeing an evil-bird was nothing new to them.

"They're easy to kill if you have the skill to do it," Naruto said, pointing it out.

"Yep. And, they taste like chicken," Assassin added.

"We had a few of those during our travels," Rider said.

"They're alright for the most part and some of them taste like chicken these days," Lancer said.

"Those chickens are great for me," Saber said with a grin, having Archer nodded her head in agreement while Caster just shrugged her shoulders in the okay matter.

"Despite how Akame looks, she grew up in the wild," Leone informed.

"There's that. Interesting," Lancer said, seeing the signs of a skillful huntress on the black-haired kanata wielder.

Naruto, Saber, Archer, and Assassin could also see it as well. Rider and Caster could also see that, but some signs of something bad that might happen to Akame. In fact, the knight and his servants could see it and wonder. They can worry about that later as they won't push the subject forward but moving on.

"You should also eat, Leone," Akame said, passing her friend a piece of meat who caught.

"Oh! Thanks!" Leone called out with a grin before digging in.

Akame then turned to look at Naruto and his group, eyeing them for any sign of weakness which she found none and ask a question.

"Are all of you set on joining us?" Akame asked, making sure is what the knight and his allies want.

They just smiled a little and answered back in their own way, "Sure am/Yep/Indeed/Ready/Yes!"

Akame smiled a little before handing the group some meat and said, "Then here you go."

"Thanks," The group replied before eating in their own way down into the chicken.

Naruto, Saber, Lancer, Archer, and Assassin wolf their pieces of meat down like hungry warriors while Caster and Rider finished at a good normal way. Leone blinked a couple of times before grinning and went back to her food, seeing this before from her best friend and was liking this group even more. Akame was shocked but was fine with and had a feeling that they will get along great with her.

"Wow! A woman that has great skills, an assassin fighting against the corrupted people, and a great cook? I think I might be in love," Naruto commented with a smile and wink at the cook, causing Akame to blush before chowing and calming down.

"Easy their dragon-kun," Lancer said with a smirk.

"He does have a great point. Akame is a great cook and this is good," Saber said, fishing her food as Archer and Assassin did the same.

"Maybe. I think Naruto-kun and Akame might be good cooks," Rider commented.

"Who knows?" Caster questioned with a smirk as she finished with her meat, having the feeling that a good class meal will be cook by her shared lover.

Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo who shock that Naruto had such a wise word with women. He made a few women blush and happen to have a group of them traveling with him. What is he, a lady killer or something? It makes some wonder how skilled he is with women but moving as some more meat was coming.

"What about you three," Akame asked, turning to Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo with some meat.

"Still thinking," Ieyasu said, still need to think a few things over.

"I haven't decided," Tatsumi said.

"Me neither," Sayo said.

"Then I can't give you guys some of this meat," Akame said before turning back to the bird and get another piece for herself to wolf down.

"That's all right," Sayo said with a wave her hands.

_"Not sure if I want to eat meat from the person who tried to kill me,"_ Tatsumi thought with a sweat drop.

Soon enough after eating and finishing up, Leone spoke, "Anyway it seems like you went all out tonight."

"The boss has come back," Akame answered.

"Boss?" Ieyasu, Tatsumi, and Sayo muttered.

"Make sense. A group like Night Raid needs someone to lead them," Naruto said, having his girls agreeing and knows that this group would have a leader.

"Oh! Boss!" Leone shouted with a smile, seeing someone on the other side of the cooked evil-bird.

"Yo," The woman said, raising her left hand and greeted back.

"This our boss. The leader of Night Raid, Najenda," Leone introduced.

"Welcome back! Did you bring any presents?" The blonde asked, waving and making her way to the leader.

"Before that, Leone…" Najenda said, getting her attention before she raises up her right mechanical hand and spoke, "Three days ago, it seems you exceeded the time limit on the job."

_"Crap!"_ Leone thought, sweating and ran away, but that didn't work.

Everyone, but Akame was shocked when Najenda's mechanical arm above her elbow shot out like a harpoon grappling hook and grabbed on the back of Leone's scarf to drag her back on the ground. Naruto and his girls were taken back by this, but alright with it as it something new and cool to see. Most don't see that these days.

"It isn't good to enjoy fighting your enemies too much. You should fix that habit," Najenda said with a grin.

"I get it, so please do something about the creaking!" Leone whined.

"Anyway, who're these young people?" Najenda asked as her arm reconnect and looked at the young group before her.

The leader looked at Tatsumi, Sayo, and Ieyasu, seeing some promise. The six girls showed great promise and should be no walk in the park. Last one, Naruto, well she got a little flustered on how handsome he looks but moving on.

"Oh well I brought Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo to join Night Raid after seeing the truth of the Capital," Leone replied, gesturing the said people to her boss before she walked to Naruto and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

Naruto didn't blush or fight back as this was normal to him, being okay and just relax. The girls raised an eyebrow and had a feeling that this lioness was looking for something from their shared dragon, but first thing first and back to the story.

"But get this boss. This guy, Naruto Sieghart, is the Dragon Knight we heard so much about and he has decided to join us with his group on broad. They even stopped a sparing by getting me, Akame, Mine, Lubbock and Bulat off guard due to protecting their friend, no worries. All of them are on board with joining with Night Raid," Leone said with a grin.

Najenda was taken back at this. First was that this group had stopped a spar by catching them off guard. The second was this young man, Naruto, happens to be the Dragon Knight she heard so much about and now he wants to join with his group in broad. She frowned a little and thought about the newcomers joining. She will need to have a report and ask for the final answer.

By getting up and put a black trench coat with Night Raid's symbol on the beck in red, Najenda said, "Akame gather the others. I want your report, along with more details on these young people….and especially them."

Naruto stood quiet as himself and girls follow behind to speak in their talk through mental talk.

_"Think she's suspicious of us?"_ Naruto asked, having the feeling that this leader was a sharp tool where she comes from.

_"Any leader would be if we are able to stop her top best soldiers,"_ Lancer said.

_"Just be honest with them Naruto-kun, and I'm sure you'll gain their trust,"_ Rider said.

_"We are here for you if things don't work out Naruto-kun,"_ Caster added as she and the other girls know all about their shared lover.

Saber, Archer, and Assassin shared a smile towards Naruto, getting him to smile a little and calm down a bit.

_"Got it,"_ Naruto said with a nod.

Before joining in Night Raid, Naruto must face a challenge if he will gain their trust…and that is to talk about his past too where he is now. Anything can happen and this knight faces some part of his past one day, but at as much soon and will happen soon enough.

* * *

**AN: Next chapter will have Naruto's Harem (1) and other pairings**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 Joining Night Raid P2 and Origins **

**AN: Naruto is not OC, OCC yes, but not OC. Check out Wattpad under the name AZ24AJ and see what I'm talking about. If not, then read something and now for those that like this story. Enjoy the next chapter.**

**Night Raid's Base – Meeting Room**

Everyone was gathered in their headquarters meeting room. Najenda sat on a chair in front of everyone. They relayed their mission as well as talking about Naruto, his Servants, Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo with them. Also explaining Naruto's actions and his Servants' skills. The report was quite…interesting, to say the least, and now the leader spoke.

"Hmm, I see. I understand completely," Najenda said before turning to Tatsumi and his friends while holding her prosthetic arm to them and speak, "I know already that Naruto and his group on board. So Tatsumi…Ieyasu…Sayo…would you like to join Night Raid?"

This questioned caused the three to frown and had to answer.

"We are dead if we reuse, aren't we?" Sayo asked, getting the leader to shake her head.

"No, that's not going to happen. However, we can't let three back either. Instead, we'll have you both work as a laborer in workshops," Najenda replied, making a good point and caused Tatsumi too raised an eyebrow.

"So, either way, we are still going to work for you," Tatsumi said, summing it up.

"At any rate, neither of you will die, even if you reuse. Given that…what both of you think?" Najenda asked, having the three look down.

Tatsumi clenched his fist, being in deep thought. Sayo looked down as well, taking all the details and actions that have pass in. Ieyasu was also in the same boat, but his views were starting to clear up from what Naruto had done for him and his friends.

Naruto and his Servants could guess the trouble the three were having. Anyone would get overwhelmed for what just happened a few days ago and soon enough get pushed into something that could lead to death, but only they can choose their own path.

"We came here and planned to become successful in the Capital. To save our village, which is suffering from poverty, but even the Imperial Capital's rotting away!" Tatsumi stated in realization.

"The countryside is poor and suffering because the center is rotten. Don't you want to destroy the sources of this rot? As a man!" Bulat spoked with sparkles going down his face, making Tatsumi sweatdrop.

_"What does be a man has to do with killing the sources,"_ Tatsumi thought.

"Bulat was originally a skilled imperial soldier. However, when he learned the Empire's corruption and became one of us," Najenda stated, having Bulat give a cool smile.

"After all, we work to eliminate the evil doers in the Capital. It's better than working under rotten people," The former soldier stated.

"Indeed. That is why we work hard to get rid of the scum in the Capital," Najenda said, having Tatsumi looked down in thought.

He was about to say something, but Sayo spoke, "So what if you kill bad guys little by little? What changes will that bring? There are places in the remote region like our village that can't be saved like that."

Naruto and his girls stay quiet for now, knowing why Sayo and her friends are being a little on the hard sides with all of this. But the knight had a feeling that their minds of the subject will change soon enough.

"Your right and that's exactly why Night Raid fits both of you perfectly," Najenda said with a confident smile, causing the three teens to look at her in confusion.

"How so?" Tatsumi asked.

"Far south of the Capital, there is a hideout of an anti-imperial force called, The Revolutionary Army," Najenda answered.

"Revolutionary Army?" Sayo questioned, having confusion on her face and her friends shared it as well.

Naruto smirked and spoke, "That's right."

This gained everyone's attention.

"It's an organization that is opposed at the Capital. It first started at as a small group and it slowly grew into a large-scale organization," Naruto explained, thanks to learning and having Assassin spying on a few RA soldiers during their travels.

It comes in handy and caused Najenda to nod her head to agree with the knight said.

"That's correct. They create units to handle covert jobs as assassinations and information gather. That's us, Night Raid," She said proudly.

The Assassin servant had a small smirk on her face and saw where her job at works is best at.

"Right now, we exterminated the Capital's trash, but if the army takes action. We'll take advantage of the confusion and take out the root of all this evil…. Prime Minister Honest!" Najenda said with a frown, clenching her robotic fist and made Ieyasu, Tatsumi, and Sayo look at her in shock.

"W-What? /Take out…the prime minister? /The root…of all evil…," Ieyasu, Tatsumi, and Sayo stuttered/asked/frowned in answer.

"That's our goal. There are others, but I'll leave them out for now. Although I can't say when they will rise to action…we've prepared a plan to win. And when that happens, this country will change for sure," Najenda answered with determination.

"Man, the Capital's fucked up," Ieyasu muttered.

"Well the new country…treat the people well," Sayo asked with a serious expression towards the boss which she nodded.

"Of course," Najenda replied.

"Awesome so the killing you people do is bad guys. It's like being called assassins of justice!" Tatsumi shouted in admiration and smile, having his friends smile and thinking the same thing.

However, none of them were prepared when everyone from Night Raid except Akame, who simply stared at them with a blank expression and started laughing at the three friends for what they think. Naruto smiled with a laugh and some of his girls did the same as well. This was too good for the knight and his group due to meeting a certain man back from the Throne of Heroes of the dream he was once had and now three kids share it. They can't help themselves and laugh of such childless but moving on.

"What naive little kids you are?" Caster said, stopping her laughing and smirk at them, also remembering a familiar boy with that dream and a man that hated that.

"Tatsumi…," Leone started, breaking out of her laughter to later spoke in a dark tone, "No matter how you look at it. Murder is still murder."

"There's no justice in that," Sheele stated.

"Every person here…could receive retribution and die any moment," Bulat said.

It made sense. Murder is still murder and death comes to all in different ways. Soon Naruto noticed the deep thinking of the three and deiced to share some words to hear out for them.

"Take it from a person who once saw the world in black and white. No matter how you look at it, it's still being a murderer. To take a human life is different than a Danger Beast or an animal. You're taking a sentient being's life; it won't matter if it's right or wrong. If you act only on what you should do without heed for what you want to do, you're nothing more than a machine, a phenomenon. It's not how a human being should live. At the end of the day, you must ask yourself this: Will you be alright with taking life from your own kind," Naruto explained with a serious look on his face, getting Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo stunned of his words.

Everyone except Naruto's Servants was stun and shock of his wise and truthful words. This was a lesson to Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo, getting them to think deeply of what the knight had told them. It makes everyone wonder just how much Naruto has been through and who is he? He is not normal that's for sure, but who is he and how can he be so young to understand these things? The young knight holds himself in a good matter, but Akame could seeing something within his eyes and wonder what happen.

"He's right. Each person here has his or her own reason for fighting, but they're all prepared. Will your opinion stay the same?" Najenda asked.

Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo stayed silent before one of them decided to move the subject.

"Will we get rewarded?" Tatsumi asked.

"If you work properly, you guys could be able to save your hometown," Najenda answered.

This gives the three to have a resolute expression on their faces and give their answers out.

"Then I'll do it! Let me join Night Raid!" Tatsumi said.

"I'm in as well!" Sayo agreed.

"Me too!" Ieyasu said, agreeing to join as well.

"You guys might not be unable to freely return to your village thought," Mine said, honestly and was the truth as most will see them as villains for standing up against the Empire, but the three teens didn't flinch in the slightest.

"That's fine. If the village is happy, I'm satisfied," Tatsumi stated.

"That's right. Nothing will stop me from fighting for what's right," Sayo said firmly.

"Well said, you guys. This is the best option for us," Ieyasu agreed with his friends.

"It looks like you won't be getting rid of them that easy, pinkie," Naruto teased, causing Mine to blush and humph before crossover her arms and not look at the knight.

This caused a few to laugh or smiled at this but moving on as Najenda smiled at the teen's determination and resolution.

"Well said. Then it's decided. Welcome to the road of carnage, Tatsumi, Ieyasu, Sayo, Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Naruto."

"Glad to be aboard," The three teens said while Naruto and his Servants nodded their heads in agreement.

"Now then Naruto, I have a question to ask you," Najenda said, getting the knight's attention.

"Yes?" Naruto asked, knowing that a question was coming around.

"Who and what are you, people? I've heard you have some skills, given how you able to take down a few of the Empire's troops in a few months. But to be able to heal two people close to death and later have your fellow group members handle my subordinates in mere seconds. This makes believe there is more about you, Naruto, than being some random person with help killing the Capital's forces," Najenda stated with a serious face.

That made everyone look at Naruto who closed his eyes and crossed his arms, being deep thought and wonder if he should answer that statement. He wasn't so sure, but there was no harm in telling and he had a feeling that someday he'll face this question when he enters to this word. It was going to happen soon or later but looks like today is that today.

Naruto opens his eyes with a sigh and said, "Alright, I'll tell you."

"Are you sure, Naruto-kun?" Archer asked in concerned, knowing what her shared lover was going to do.

"I'm sure. If I'm/all of us going to be part of Night Raid then I want them to trust me," Naruto replied with a nod of his head.

"You know we always got your back, Naruto," Saber said with a smile on her face.

"Absolutely," Lancer said, agreeing and had Rider, Caster, and Assassin agreeing as well to back up their shared lover if things go bad.

"Thanks, girls," Naruto said with a smile, being happy for their help and now its time.

That made everyone else look at them curiously and wonder even more on what the knight was going to tell them. Only one way to find out.

"Alright then…to start off, we don't really come from this world, but rather an entirely different dimension," Naruto said.

Everyone was surprised by this and who can blame them as Naruto sighed and look at Caster which she understands to get something. She soon handed the knight a stone and watched him cast a rune. He had Lancer check it before nodding and handing back to her lover, allowing him to keep going.

"In order to understand who, I am, I will have to show you all my story," Naruto said, having the stone's rune marks glow and got everyone to wonder what he was doing.

"This is a memory stone with a rune mark, making it easy to explain and will show you a part of my story," The knight explained as the stone shines brighter and had everyone to see his origin.

** _Naruto's Memory Line_**

**Monster by DEMOTIONAL ** watch?v=fUnkLHLI_UA (YouTube)

_The memory line started with Naruto's early life of being neglected and harsh treatment by his parents, treated badly by his siblings and the villagers from the Leaf. Getting beaten at a young age and stuffer more than any normal child should by having no food or water. Get lockout of his own room and sometimes even gets injustice punishment. It was hell for the young boy, a living hell. _

_ All of this because he didn't have the Nine Tail Beast seal into him or born with no chakra. _

_ Naruto was a hellish life but however, he didn't give up and had a few people in the village to help and care for him as a true person should. They protect him, taught the right and wrong, and show some kindness in the hellhole of a village. He was given somewhat a good life while his so-called family leaves him. Things were going alright for the most part, but it went downhill very fast. _

_ Naruto's parents were told of the old Child of Destiny tale and that it could be one of their children by a certain old toad and fool. But to make sure it works; they need to get rid of their failure of a child for good. Many things happen after his banishment from his family and clan that was later sold away like a toy. He was disowned and left to die for the wolves, but he escaped out of the black-market and kept moving on to get away from that hell. The young boy didn't look back from at the hell and kept running for something out there. _

_ Once he was far enough and alone away from everyone or thing, Naruto started to cry out of sadness and soon gain deep anger for the sons of bitches of a family that cause so much pain onto him. His anger and sadness caused powerful mana to burst to awaken and would have destroyed the whole forest to have his revenge on those that hurt him. _

_ However, that was stopped, and hope had finally been given to Naruto. _

_ Naruto was founded and helped by the Light of the Grail, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern and the world-traveling prankster, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg. They took care of him for that time of need and transport him into the Throne of Heroes for a true family which the young boy did gain. _

_ Naruto spends his years with his new family in the Throne training and building his strength, body, mind, and spirit up. He had a good number of family figures and friends that care about him for who he is and will become, making him happy for such a great life. _

_ Soon enough Naruto had to leave with the Servants he summoned to a world that he needs to fix from the evil and corruption. This world must be saved from the Capital's evil for it to live to the bright area of peace and break their hold on the world before facing his past one day. _

_ Naruto Sieghart will strive for his own story towards the path of rightness and justice for this world as the Dragon Knight of Justice. _

**_End of Memory Line _**

The memory stone fades away, having it magic done and placed away for now. Everyone, but Naruto's Servants as they help their shared lover to calm down were speechless on what they just witness. To go through so much and not go insane from it was shocking. This knight just kept smiling, had a few people and hope until one day his life was change all around. It was a shocking state of mind and news to witness before them.

"H-How can you keep going after being through all that?" Mine asked, speaking the main question from everyone else mind.

Naruto thought carefully before smiling a little and said, "I sometimes ask that myself, but I kept going by gaining strength through the bonds I formed with my new family, by protecting my precious people and by hoping for a better tomorrow. I never give up hope, and that way I can face any challenge thrown at me with my head held high and heart in the right place."

This got everyone to think deeply about Naruto and now they have a great amount of respect to the knight, having their answers be shared out loud.

"Well Naruto, you definitely earned my respect," Leone said with a grin.

"I agree. Though the stuff you went through was hard, it made you into a nice young man," Sheele agreed with nod and smile on her face.

"Yes! So manly!" Bulat shouted with a laugh.

"You're ok in my book," Lubbock said a with a smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe being teammates with you won't be so bad," Mine said with a smirk and crossed her arms.

"Having you on our side just may tip things in our favor," Najenda said with a grin.

Akame soon walked up to Naruto, having the two share each other before smiling and the two for some reason could understand the other better.

"I look forward to working with you," Akame said with a smile.

"Me too, Akame," Naruto replied.

The new chapter was starting, and many things are coming. Naruto and his Servants can't wait to see what will come later by working alongside Night Raid. Anything can happen and the great chapter was starting to shin for the Dragon Knight.

* * *

**AN: A few things to mention, Naruto will give some copies of NP (Need ideas) or normal weapons to Tatsumi, Sayo, Ieyasu, Spear (Got something in mind for her later on) and a few more in order help train them to be ready for what the world might throw at them. An OC (Two) and Servants will show up in this story and give our heroes some trouble. Also, the other Servants such as Mordred, Atalanta, Astolfo, Fan and maybe a few others will show up later in the story. **

** Naruto's Harem (1)/Other Pairings **

** Fate Series: Mordred, Atalanta, Female Astolfo, Musashi** **Miyamoto, Tomoe Gozen, Scathach, Medusa, Medea, Kato Danzo, Female Gilgamesh, Alexandria (Female Alexander), Arturia Pendragon, Irisviel Caster, Tamamo, Kiyohime, and Saint Martha.**

** Akame Ga Kill: Leone, Kurome, Esdeath, Chelsea, Seryu (Redeem), Mine, Spear, Najenda, Luna, Air, and Fal. **

** Other Pairings **

** Akame x?**

** Tatsumi x Sayo**

** Ieyasu x Sheele **

** Lubbock x?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 Recruits **

The next day for Night Raid is going along fine and some training was in order, but not that kind of training for Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo as they were helping Naruto and Akame cooking breakfast. Not the normal assassin training, but it can't be helped and…

"Second please!"

"One more."

"More please Naruto-kun!"

"Keep it coming, Naruto-kun!"

Oh yeah, there's that.

Naruto's cooking happens to be the best five-star meals then anyone has ever had or seen, getting more food to cook. The knight's girls know firsthand of his cooking skills, being a very great cook and have well-made meals to enjoy. The more they want, cause groans from Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo how they are stuck with kitchen work. Akame loves the meals and how the silver-haired knight can cook such great meats for breakfast. She's on her sixth meal of breakfast and really loves the five-star meals.

Tatsumi and his friends were grateful they took cooking lessons to help them out in case they get jobs at cooking areas in the Capital. They never thought that their assassin training will be like this and now time for cleaning dishes.

"I don't see why we are stuck with kitchen work?" Tatsumi questioned as he cleans the dishes.

"Why are we doing this?" Sayo asked, drying the dishes.

"It can't be helped as I cook. And you three are with me for the day, so you help cook too," Akame replied as she took a bite of Naruto's food again.

"You just want the food!" The three teens called out, pointing at Akame, who was eating the food.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Akame said, pushing that aside and putting some food away.

This caused three friends to groan and kept cleaning.

Naruto smirk at Tatsumi and his friend misfortune before finishing making lunches for a few people in mind and grabbed a wooden spoon in his left hand, just in case as he smelled a few people coming into the kitchen. It pays to have dragon abilities these days.

"Those aprons look good on the recruits," A certain female spoke, caused Tatsumi and Ieyasu to get upset and know who had just walked in.

"Say what?!" The boys shouted as they turn around to see Mine, Bulat, Sheele, and Lubbock with bags behind them and it looks like they are heading out for a mission.

Naruto, his Servants, and Sayo looked back to see the four all bag up.

"You guys going somewhere?" Tatsumi asked.

"Yep, we got a job. So, we are heading to the Capital," Bulat answered.

"Please take care of the hideout while we are out," Sheele said with a smile.

"Ha-ha! The newbies are housemaids with Akame today. Have fun cutting cu-ouch!" Mine said to taut but was cut off when something hit her on the forehead hard and held her head.

She looked down to see what hit her, seeing a spoon on the floor and look up to see Naruto with his left-hand outwards before putting on his hip.

"Yeah, yeah, keeping bragging to the people who are serving you. Your food mind you, Pinkie," Naruto said with a smirk, getting a glare from the pink haired girl

"Why you!" Mine shouted and was about to resort back but was tripped by Archer putting her leg out and caused her to fall onto the floor.

This caused a few to smirk, laughs, and shake of their heads of what just happen. Most saw that coming.

"You should be more mindful with your surroundings," Lancer said like a teacher giving a lesson to her student.

"Not much a good assassin," Assassin commented.

Mine groaned and look up to glare and shout but was stopped as Naruto had a lunch bag before her and blinked a few times.

"What's this?"

"Lunch."

"We can get lunch at the Capital."

"Maybe, but most of you have Wanted Posters with some trouble and now little time to make lunch. So here I made lunch for you guys and enjoy. Hunger is the enemy, my friends."

The two talked and good points were made.

Mine sighed as she took her lunch and said, "Thanks I guess."

"Thank you, Naruto," Sheele said, thanks for the lunch as she and the others left for their mission.

"You're welcome," Naruto replied.

Things went back to cleaning the kitchen and was done when Akame took off her apron.

"Okay, let's go take some life," Akame ordered, making Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo confused.

"Huh?" They asked.

"The forest or the lake?" Naruto asked as he put away a few things.

"Good, you know what I'm talking about," Akame said.

Oh, this should be good.

**Short Time Skip **

After a good walk into the mountain while carrying large wooden baskets on their backs and reach to a small lake with a waterfall pouring into it. Naruto had his Servants sit this one out as they ask too few things around the base and allow their shared lover to hunt.

"So, what are we catching today and how are we doing it?" Naruto asked, before seeing something on the corner of his eye and turn away.

Tatsumi and Ieyasu soon become red as a tomato when seeing Akame taking her clothes off. Sayo bonked her friends' heads and stop any pervert moments.

"W-what are you doing?" Sayo asked.

"She's changing for hunting," Naruto answered for Akame with his back turn, giving the girl her space.

"He's right. Now aren't going to put your swimming clothes?" Akame asked, wearing a pure white two-piece swimsuit and caused the boys to sight in relief.

The Dragon Knight could guess that they are hunting some fish for lunch and could work as he has a few ideas to cook them.

"We are catching large river tuna's today," Akame said as she dives into the river, getting three teens to look at her in disbelief.

"She can't mean the rare and dangerous fish that –," Tatsumi said but was cut when multiples fish were blowing out of the water and landing on the basket.

Silence and disbelief wash over Tatsumi and his friends on what they just saw, having their eyes wide open. Naruto on the hand was found and had a calm look on his face which a small smile formed.

"…Did you say something?" Naruto asked with his smirk not leaving his face.

"Shut up Naruto," Tatsumi said in a grumpy tone of voice.

Soon enough Akame came out of the water to take a break as she shook her head and said, "Erase your presence and swing along the riverbed. When the prey gets close, attack in that instant. Give everything you got. Can you handle it?"

Simple enough for a few to understand, but not for two teens as they took off their shirt to the side and smiled.

"Bring it on!" Tatsumi and Ieyasu shouted as they dive into the water.

Akame just gives a blank look and know where this was going. Sayo just sighed with sweatdrop form her head of what her friends have just done. Naruto shook his head, knowing that was coming.

"Bring it on, they say. I bet those two will only get two fishes. Sayo just relaxes and listen to Akame. I won't look alright," Naruto said as he turns away, allowing the said girl to change out of her clothes and into a black two-piece swimsuit.

Sayo was a little uneasy with showing her body and the knight noticed it.

"Relax and hunt at that spot away from the boys. And you might catch three or four fish," Naruto informed, using his right hand to point at a spot to give the girl a good spot.

Sayo nodded her and drive in the water to start her hunt. Naruto walked towards a good spot and started his own hunt, not driving, but something else. He took off his boots to the side and summoned wooden spear out of blue energy for spearfishing. This knight can not only just wield a sword, but other weapons like a spear and his hunt start as he walks into the river with his spear ready.

**One Fishing Trip Later…**

**Night Raid – Dining Room**

"So, in the end, Tatsumi and Ieyasu caught two while Sayo three and Naruto six. Not bad for their first time," Najenda commented as she took a bite of her meal.

"See, I told you that Tatsumi and Ieyasu will only catch two," Naruto said as he took a chair next to Najenda and started eating his lunch.

"Hey Naruto, is it true that the boys yell 'bring it on' while taking their clothes off?" Leone asked in a teasing tone.

"I thought they were pro at it," Naruto responds with a smirk, getting Tatsumi and Ieyasu to plate their face on the table.

"All alright putting their shattered pride aside," Najenda said, making the boys sulk even further before turning to Leone and spoke, "Leone, tell me about the jobs you receive from the Capital last night?"

Leone nodded her head, being serious and answered the boss.

"Our targets are Ogre from the Capital Guards, Gamal an old merchant, Bach is a former slave that helps human trafficking and the Enthusiasts of the Capital. Ogre would pun the blame on someone else and Gamal will help him. The client's fiancé was famed and sentenced to death, but he managed to overhear the two of them and some members of the Enthusiasts talking which he sends a letter to inform our client before he was executed," Leone finished as she placed a punch on the table.

"She must have a lot?" Tatsumi asked on shock, having Ieyasu and Sayo agreeing.

Leone lowered her head and Naruto got a scent he didn't like. He sniffed for a few times and immediately covers his noise of the scent he got. His Servants could guest the scent as well and narrowed their eyes.

"It smells like rotten meat from a corpse," Naruto said with his eyes narrowed.

"Venereal disease…she sold her body to earn this money," Leone informed, giving Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo horror feeling while Naruto and his Servants grit their teeth.

"Did you check her story?" Najenda asked as took a cigar out, getting Leone nodded and told her that she had observed them from the attic of a merchant's shop to check the story out.

The one-eyed boss lit her cigar, took in the smoke, breathed out and looked at everyone to give out her answer of the request.

"Night Raid accepts the request. We will punish these monsters and send them to hell," Najenda said with a serious expression.

"Gamal will not be a problem, but Ogre and Enthusiasts are other stories," Leone said.

"Ogre the Demon and Enthusiasts the scum," Naruto started, getting everyone's attention as he finished his meal and spoke, "Ogre's skills with a sword are no a joke, being somewhat dangerous than the criminals in the Capital and has full respect from most of the people to the army. His subordinates see him as a father figure and they always spend their time with him. The only time they aren't around him is when he goes to some meeting at the headquarters or on his days of which he drinks nearby the palace."

This caused Leone and Najenda to be shocked by the knight knows so much. Akame could take a guess as to why. Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo were in deep thought, thinking a few things over and waited for more information.

"And how do you know this?" Najenda asked.

"Assassin had gained the information from people talking in bars or on the streets which I gain also. Word gets by fast and information is useful when it comes in handy. I was going to take him out after dealing the Enthusiasts in order to gain Night Raid's attention for me to join in. But here we are now," Naruto answered simply with a smile and Assassin smirk as well.

"Hmm quite useful indeed. What about the Enthusiasts?" Najenda questioned, wondering what else the Dragon Knight knows.

"Simply, the group loves to have their way with little girls from villages through harsh punishments. They have a man inside you could say, former slave, to pay them first before moving into a mansion and start their play time. _Damn scumbags_," Naruto replied, cursing underneath his breath of such humans living in this world, but calms down and not let his anger cloud his mind.

"Hmm, you don't say. Good information, Naruto," Najenda said with a small smirk as she takes some smoke in and out.

"If Naruto is right, then our only chance to get Ogre is when he's on his day off," Tatsumi said, speaking his thoughts.

"Yes, but a few problems. The Security around the palace will be hard. For Akame, who's on the Wanted List and will be dangerous," Najenda said.

"In other words, only someone from here who is not on the Wanted List could kill easily I believe," Leone said, understanding the boss.

"Shall we wait for the others to come back in order to take down Ogre and Enthusiasts?" Akame suggested.

It would make sense, but time and waiting were out of the question as a certain knight has plans to deal with a group of scum.

"We can't wait. The Enthusiasts are always on the move and tonight might be the last time they stay at the mansion before moving out. I offer a few my Servants and me to deal with the Enthusiasts by sending them to hell for punishment," Naruto said with a serious look on his face and had a good number of his girls ready for their mission.

While the Dragon Knight could have requested to take down Ogre, but he wanted to take down the Enthusiasts and had a feeling that three teens might take a job first.

"Alright. Naruto, you and the Servants you pick can take the mission on killing the scumbags," Najenda said with a smirk, allowing the Dragon Knight to have his hunt and was about to speak again, but then…

"In that case, let's take care of Ogre ourselves!" Tatsumi shouted as he stood up and slammed his hand on the table.

The room became completely silent for a few moments of the brown-haired teen's outburst and the silver-haired knight smiled at this. He has a plan in mind and wanted to test his new friends out.

"So, in other words, you, Ieyasu and Sayo can kill Ogre by yourself," Naruto said, testing them.

"…Eh?" The three questioned.

"It does sound like you three can take care of him," Naruto said with a small smile, testing and pushing even further.

"Huh?"

"Are you ready to take responsibility and run this bastard down?" Naruto asked, having his smirk grow even more.

At this point, mind gears clicked, and the three friends understand what was going.

"As you are now, you three stand no chance," Akame informed the three, causing them to be frustrated by it.

"While we stand here debating, more innocent people are getting framed for something they didn't commit!" Tatsumi exclaimed as he clenched his fists and spoke, "I don't want people to experience their loved ones getting taken away from them!"

"He's right!" Ieyasu agreed.

"We can take him!" Sayo also agreeing.

The raven assassin and silver knight looked at them with silence. The Servants could see this as well and stand silent. All of them were testing the three out and could understand the simple goal in mind, but there are flaws and hopefully, they can overcome them. Things can change and life works odd these days.

Najenda nodded her head, giving the three teens an approving smile and said, "Understood. I'll let Ogre in your hands. Go kill that son of a bitch."

This caused the three to smirk that they were finally going to prove themselves as assassins and apart of Night Raid.

"How about that Akame! When it's time, we can put our A game!" Tatsumi said with confidence as his friends shared the same and gain two things.

Akame having a serious look and Naruto flicking the teens on their foreheads, getting them to wince and held their foreheads in pain.

"Drop that tone right now. You're _A game_ is nothing at this moment but mere words and pride back you up. I see what that pride does and will be your three's downfall. Drop that pride right now and maybe you three can come out alive," Naruto said with his eyes narrowed little and his Servants nodded their heads in agreement.

Of course, it was harsh, but he didn't want his new friends getting themselves killed because of their pride and a good lesson was needed which one more was coming.

"Come back successfully from the mission. Report it back and then you will be praised. As you three are now, you three are so full of yourself and that will end your life as Naruto has put it," Akame said coldly, making the three teens release steam from their ears in anger.

"What!?" The three teens shouted but stopped as they were bonked on the head and land into the ground with steam coming from their heads.

What happens was Naruto had bonked the teens on the head to calm down which it works and said, "Leaving that aside. Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo get ready within the hour. Grab your weapons and be ready for your first mission."

"Yes sir," The teens responded the best they could as they recover and left to get their things for the mission.

"You sure know how to handle rookies," Najenda said.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and said, "I do my best."

"Really? It seems you know your moves. Want to have a spar with me and show me those moves, Naruto?" Leone asked in a teasing and flirting tone.

"Maybe, but later as I have a mission first, Leone," Naruto answered with a smile on his face, causing the blonde to blush a little and smiled at his reply.

Najenda just smirked at this and could tell that the Dragon Knight was one of a kind. Truly a one of a kind indeed. Akame kept a blank face but smiled a little and agree about the silver-haired knight being a one of a kind people. The ideal knight that is willing to fight for his own code. Quiet the good quote.

**Time Skip**

**Capital **

Sometime later, Naruto with Saber, Archer, Rider, and Assassin was walking with Leone towards where their targets were located, being nearby the streets and good shops towards an old mansion. The blonde had led the group to their location before joining up with Akame and kill their target off. She also had Tatsumi and his friends are set up with their mission awhile ago before helping the Dragon Knight out.

Of course, Naruto could have brought all his Servants, but that will be overkill, a few could work, and some work needs to be done. Caster and Lancer wanted to set up traps and make the base better equipped to deal with some unwanted guest that dares to come in. Najenda agreed and gave the two the layout of the whole area surrounding the base.

"This should be the place. Bach will lead the girls from villages towards this place and sold them to those bastards," Leone said, having the group and herself be placed five miles away from the mansion.

"Right place indeed. An old mansion that has guards around, area clear out, and no one here to report anything odd. It's just missing a sign that says, 'Please kill me. Bad guy lives here.' Yep, this is the place," Naruto said, getting Leone to chuckled and his Servants smiled at his half-joke.

"Well, you guys do have a few hours before Bach shows up and might want to wait. From what I gather, the Enthusiasts comes in after Bach gets the girls ready for their new masters. When that happens, you all can kill those scumbags and send them to hell," Leone informed with a grin.

"Sounds like a plan," Naruto agreed with a grin of his own.

Leone nodded her head before taking her to leave and said, "I'll leave it to you guys. See you guys back at base."

Naruto and his Servants waved their goodbye before looking back at the mansion, thinking a few things and plan some things out. The Dragon Knight had a plan, but he couldn't help himself and think of three on their first mission. He was worried about Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo. They don't have many skills when it comes to killing, but they do have promise and only one can hope they learn fast.

"You are worried about them, Naruto-kun?" Saber asked, seeing a look of concerned on Naruto's face.

"Yes. While a part of me feels like they can handle it, but I'm not so sure," Naruto replied.

"It's reasonable to worry about your new friends, Naruto-kun. Should we check on them as there is time left," Rider said.

Naruto hummed, thinking for a second and had an idea in mind.

"No, they need to fight their own battles as I can't always be there for them and this mission might help them out before I start training them. But my worries are still there. Assassin-chan, please head out and oversee them. Don't help them, just watch, take notes of their skills, and make sure they are alright," Naruto said, making good sense and was understandable.

"Will do Naruto-kun. I'll head out after we get a bite to eat. We could use the meal before our mission starts and could help pass the time," Assassin said to bring out a good point.

Hunger is the enemy once again and one must keep in shape in all areas.

"Agree. Let's head out for a quick bite to eat. I think the good shop is nearby," Naruto said as they started to head out for a snack.

The sun was setting, and the first mission will start very soon.

**Short Time Skip **

Within the mansion, Bach had led three new girls towards their doom and had the Enthusiasts to buy them off. The three girls, Luna, Air, and Fal were scared, having horror looks on their face of what's going to happen to them.

Outside the mansion, an unknown black fog comes out of thin air and surrounds the building. The guards outside didn't know what was going, but all the sudden they felt a massive pain within their bodies and started to cough out of control. Their eyes and throat were burning from the inside, slowly they die. A very painful and slow death.

Back inside, the Enthusiasts were close on grabbing the girls to their enjoyment but was stopped as four figure crash into the window and land in the living room before everyone.

Bach and the Enthusiasts were shocked at this surprise, knowing who the Dragon night was due to his actions on the Capital and those who are evil.

Luna, Air, and Fal were shocked that a knight and his allies arriving before them, feeling that their savior has shown and will save them. It's almost like one of those old stories they told of a knight saving the good people from the bag guys.

"Sorry about the window. The door was unable," Naruto said as brought out Balmung and pointed at thugs before him.

Saber draw out her kanatas, Archer her spear, and Rider nails to nameless chins.

Bach quickly calms himself with a smile and said, "This is just one big misunderstanding. I believe we can work something out and do you four believe you can take all of us. You are outnumbered."

"Maybe…but all of you are outmatched," Naruto said, having himself and his Servants start with their mission.

Saber and Archer easily took down the good number of the guards with quick swings of their weapons. Some were cut in the different piece and stabbed in organs before getting a clean quick cut to the throat.

The purple haired Rider was fast to deal with the dogs and their master by nailing or stabbing them in the heads and used her chains to crash them like the bugs they are.

Naruto had cut down five guards as he walked towards Bach, who was scared to death and the Dragon Knight was going to get this scumbag a massive death. Before the silver knight could, he stopped and saw someone still alive. He put his left hand out, summoning a knife before throwing it and killing fake death guy in the head.

"Nice try, but not good enough…and now for you, Bach," Naruto said with venom in his voice and glared at the former slave who was shaking

Bach was backing up against a wall behind him, having no options and nowhere to go. He soon had an idea in hopes to leave as he unbuttons his shirt and shows his slave mark.

"I was forced to do this. See! I'm a slave! I was forced to have girls from villages be brought here. I was just following my master's orders!" Bach pleaded but got a dragon-like to grow from the knight and caused him to be even more scared.

"Slave huh? That's laughable. You were a slave and now human trafficking that doesn't care for the women that were torture. I'll make you gain a quick death, bastard," Naruto said as he moves forwards with Balmung ready to cut down this fool.

"And what are you! I may do I what I did, but at least I'm free! What about you?! You just some pet following orders!" Bach shouted.

"Silences!" Naruto snapped, causing Bach to shiver in fear.

"If I'm a pet…and your food," The Dragon Knight said as he summoned one of his familiars to appear behind him and was a gift from his aunt figure.

A large green snake appears behind its master, having its mouth open and ready to have a meal. And just so happens to be in front of him. Naruto snaps his fingers, allowing his familiar to have its meal of the day and ate Bach whole. No screams, just a hurtful look on his face as he was eaten alive.

The snake soon returns to where it was before, and Naruto sighed as that was done. He soon turns his attention towards the three girls who were being helped by Saber, Archer, and Rider. Luna, Air, and Fal were asleep now. They must have fallen asleep due to what happen and who can balm them.

A few things can happen as of now.

One, the team could leave the girls at a place and avoid any questions.

Two, take them with them and pray that their boss doesn't get mad, much.

And number two seems to be the one option they can agree with and started their trip back to base.

Not so far away and watching the whole events play out had a young man on a building and saw what happen. He hummed quietly and saw something within the Dragon Knight. Someone to fight and test to prove himself that he was the strongest. He will also need to report this to his lord and master of what happened. The lord will like to know this, and things will get interesting.

**AN: Here of what the weapons and they are: **

**Tatsumi: Sword and later a Teigu we all know and love **

**Ieyasu: Battle Axe and later something new that will be shown **

**Sayo: Arjuna's bow and arrows**

**Lune: Will be shown later**

**Air: Will be shown later**

**Fal: Will be shown later**

**…**

** Theme Songs: Getting Away with Murder by Papa Roach**

**Takeo (Bio)**

**Nicknames: **Warrior Panther.

**Hair: **Blue

**Eyes: **Blue

**Age: **20

**Likes: **Fighting and becoming the strongest.

**Dislikes: **Honest, Bastards, Fools, and Someone looks down or calls him weak.

**Family Relatives: **Unnamed Panther Danger Beast Father (Deceased). Unnamed Human Mother (Deceased).

**Abilities: **Master hand to hand combat. Master Swordsmen. Inhuman strength, speed, and stamina. Healing Factor. Danger Beast Abilities (Sharp Claws and Teeth). Animal Transformation (Panther)

**Weapons: **One unnamed katana. Claws and teeth when using Danger Beast abilities.

**Other Theme Songs:** **Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace and No More Sorrow by Linkin Park.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 Smarts **

**Night Raid – Meeting Room**

"So, after killing the scumbags, you took three girls, Luna, Air, and Fal here as they have nowhere else to go and have some promise to join Night Raid. Eh, talk about an odd outcome," Najenda said, recalling the report that the Dragon Knight told her and was close on bonking him, but was put on hold for now as the said knight made good points.

"Indeed, Najenda. I know that I made the wrong call, but I know I'm right and those girls will do great," Naruto said.

"After training," Najenda pointed out.

Naruto nodded and said, "Yes, but that's up to them. Luna, Air, and Fal need some time to think about joining Night Raid. If they do, then I'll start their training before joining the fields and they are not the only ones that need training."

"Agree and I will allow this. Just don't make a habit of bringing strays and village girls," Najenda said with a small smirk, having her mind made up.

"Well do, Najenda," Naruto agreed.

The two got up from their chairs and the meeting was over. Naruto and Najenda won't alone as Akame and Leone were in the room as well.

"Glad that boss didn't tear you open, Naruto. She can deliver some nasty punches," Leone said, remembering the last time where boss almost tear her up for buying drinks with all the money.

Almost all the money and the drinks were good, but the punches no good and that was never going to happen again. Moving on.

"I can tell and don't want to get on Najenda's bad side. A good rule: never make a woman mad or all hell will break loss," Naruto said, knowing a good number of women can do when anger and got the blonde nodding her head in agreement to that rule.

"True and you should be more careful Naruto. While boss understands your reason on bringing them and the promise they could do after good training, you should still need to be careful," Akame said, making a good point.

"Noted," Naruto said, agreeing to the point and understand.

No one will know if the person they bring could be a spy or an uncover agent, both are the same. So, one should be careful, and the Dragon Knight understands that. He's lucky that he read people very well.

"Also why have Assassin watch Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo on their mission?" Akame questioned.

Naruto stood quiet for a second and started to remember the black-haired assassin report to him about the mission. They lead Ogre to a trap and almost got him up, but he got back up and taunted the three of the crimes he has done like some price he has done. This caused the three friends to snap and send the bastard to hell.

Tatsumi had swung his sword in an X-like pattern, having the captain's arms be cut off. Ieyasu had swung his battle ax towards the right to cut the legs clean off, leaving the man wide open for the final strike from Sayo. She fired a powerful arrow towards the bastard and cut his head clean off from his body. A good and painful death to that monster.

This proves to what the Dragon Knight has in mind for them and what they can do. Of course, training and better weapons were needed, but overall good so far.

"I was worried for them and I send Assassin-chan in case things got out of hand, but I was wrong, and they can handle themselves for now. They need some hard-core training and get themselves in shape for the battles that are ahead of them," Naruto answered.

Najenda smirked at this, agreeing and said, "Well said, Naruto and they will get training in. Tatsumi is with Bulat, Ieyasu with Sheele, and Sayo is with Akame, again, for training tomorrow. Luna, Air, and Fal can stay and help Akame out. They will start from there and I need you partner up with someone."

"And who will I be partner up?" Naruto asked.

"Mine," Najenda replied simply.

"Okay then," Naruto said, getting some shock about his calm matter and not bother on working with the pink-haired sniper.

"You not bug by this. Ever heard out of the firing pin into the fire?" Leone asked/joked.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and said, "Nope, not beg by this and I should get to know her before judging. Sure, she seems like a hard case, but I think I can work with her."

"If you say so. Tatsumi and Ieyasu had a different answer than you. They kept shouting on how Mine is the worst," Leone said with a chuckle, remembering the boy's reaction.

"Hmm you don't say, but that's them and I'm willing to work with Mine as we are on the same team. So, teamwork is required in order to take down the scumbags," Naruto said.

"Seems fair and good luck Naruto. Also, try to hold back with your teasing and jokes on Mine. She might be hard and easy to push, but don't push too far," Akame said, giving the knight some points.

Naruto understands it and will turn the jokes/teases back a bit.

"Well do and now I need some rest for my big day tomorrow. Good night," Naruto said with a yawn as he leaves the meeting room for his room.

"Night Naruto!" Leone called out with a wave and smile on her face, having an idea in mind to get closer with the silver knight.

"Good night," Akame and Najenda said their own.

With Naruto, he heads upstairs and towards his room for the night. He will visit Luna, Air, and Fal in the morning as they need their rest and himself as well. The first mission was alright, and the Dragon Knight has a feeling that simple missions won't come around after today. Of course, they might be easy for him, but he won't allow that to go over his head and be smart. But now its time for bed and the young man opens the door to his room to find a few people waiting for him.

Rider and Caster were waiting in the knight's room, wearing night robes that hugged their beautiful mature body figures. The purple-haired woman wore pink that showed an opening of her breast and the blue-haired woman wore a light blue robe with a dark blue sash around her waist.

Normally a man around Naruto's age would have blush or panic like a schoolboy, but the knight was different as he was used to this. His Servants or lovers would have a good moment to sleep in his warmth. And sometimes do more than that, but only on rare moments and when the other was ready. The Dragon Knight had a feeling this was coming as he had Saber, Archer and Lancer slept over with him last night. So, tonight was Rider and Caster and the next night will have Assassin.

Good for now as it only a few of Naruto's Servants and he knows that some of the rest will come. He doesn't know when, but he has a feeling soon. Not tomorrow, but within a few days or so maybe. The rest are coming but moving on.

"I take it that the mission report went out just fine, Naruto-kun?" Caster questioned.

"It did and I'll be working with Mine for the day," Naruto informed.

"I see. And you are okay with that?" Rider asked.

"Yep. It will be interesting, and I have to feel that the day with Mine is going to be a long one," Naruto answered.

"No surprise there, but I think you two will do just fine and let's gets some rest," Caster said.

"Agree," Naruto said with tried yawn escaping his lips and soon joined into bed with his lovers following behind.

Rider hugged the right side and Caster the left of their shared lover with a smile on their faces. Naruto smiled as he gives the two a kiss on their cheeks, getting them to smile and soon fall to sleep due to the warmth.

**Time Skip **

Feeling something odd on his chest and neck, Naruto started to open his eyes to see some blonde hair and know who was on top of him. The Dragon Knight had found Leone on top of him with her arms wrap around his neck and having herself laying calm onto his body, enjoying his warm body. He was shocked at this, not a woman on him as this wasn't new, but just shock on how he couldn't sense her before until morning.

During the night, Leone had made her way into the knight's bedroom to find Caster and Rider sleeping next to Naruto. She was shocked and could tell that this young man was indeed a lady killer. So, seeing it was late and need some more warmth, the lioness had fallen asleep onto the silver-haired knight for the night. And now its time to wake up.

"Leone, its time to wake up," Naruto said, poking the blonde's cheeks and caused her to open her eyes.

"Good morning Naruto," Leone greeted as she rubbed her cheeks against Naruto's, smiling and enjoying the warmth.

"Morning Leone. May I ask why you in my bedroom and on top of me?" Naruto asked.

Leone had teasing smirked on her face and said, "Oh? You like to be on top. I'll be happy to make that happen if you work for it."

Naruto blushed a little at the tease but shook it off and noticed that Rider and Caster were not in the bed at his side. Which means they are outside the room or in the dining room and the knight could do something.

"Whoa!"

With a quick motion, Naruto had used his strength by gently grabbing Leone and flip them over on the bed, having him on top of the lioness. The blonde-haired woman blushed at this quick reaction but soon calm down and smiled at this forwardness. The lion within her wants her alpha and that alpha is in front of her. The silver-haired man had a small blush on his face but was gone and soon saw something going on. His dragon nature was looking its lion and the pair's lips were close on touching the other.

But this moment was stopped, when a loud knock hits the door and a voice spoke, "Stop right there. You two can have some time together later. Put that on hold for now as breakfast needs help to be ready."

The voice was Lancer and she had stopped a moment between dragon and lion. Some might say it was good timing and while others not so much. The pair groaned and soon sat on edge of the bed.

"She ruined the moment," Leone whined, not liking that the spear wielder had stopped the moment.

"Maybe, but Lancer is right as she has stopped us from acting out on our animal side. I don't mind as I do see you beautiful and have a good wild personality that I like. I think its best to wait a little more before that and get to know each other better," Naruto explained, making good points that the wild lioness agrees.

"Alright, I think that will work best as I really want to get know you before we move down," Leone agreed with her smirk not leaving her face and cupped Naruto's chin in her right hand.

Naruto smiled at this and said, "Don't you ever stop?"

"Nope. Do you?" Leone questioned as she leans forward, being close to a young man.

"Maybe, but who knows," Naruto answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

Leone giggled before she kissed the knight's cheeks and left the room with a sway of her hips, giving a good show. Naruto smiled with a whistle and could tell that he has met such a woman. He had a feeling that this blonde was something and few girls will like her.

"What a woman," Naruto commented as he gets up and dresses for the day.

**Small Time Skip **

Once taking a shower, getting dress, and having breakfast, Naruto was waiting in the dining room for Mine to show up and waited calmly. He could understand as it was still morning, 8:00 AM, and didn't want to rush the pink-haired girl.

"It seems today might be a busy one," Rider commented.

"Maybe," Naruto said, having a feeling that it will be a long day.

"It true. Training is going on and you are heading out with Mine. So yeah, I think today is a long day," Caster said.

"Yeah, it does seem like that. Lancer is watching Bulat training Tatsumi, Ieyasu doing training with Sheele, and Sayo with Akame for more hunting skill lessons. Luna, Air, and Fal are talking with Najenda. They seem to be liking the idea of joining Night Raid and make sure no evil is around. Such young warriors," Saber commented with a smile on her face.

"Indeed Saber-chan. Indeed," Naruto agreed with a small smile on his face and could see promise for those three girls.

"Now you must wait for Pinkie to show up," Assassin said.

"Yep and I can wait as its rude to rush a woman," Naruto said, knowing firsthand and raise to not rush a woman.

He also had the idea that Mine was that kind to rush or trick off, maybe teasing, but should not push its luck any further as making that woman could lead to a bad outcome. The Dragon Knight soon saw Najenda walking into the dining room to have her breakfast that the young man saved from Akame. He saw that the black-haired assassin has great hunger like him and two Sabers he knows very well.

Before a word could be spoken, three girls tackle Naruto into a hug and almost knock him down into the ground but stood his ground thanks to his training and his own sisters from the Throne. The Dragon Knight smiled as he hugs Luna, Air, and Fal back. Najenda smirked as she started to dig into her meal that was very well made and great.

"Good morning Luna, Air, Fal. I take it that you three made your mind up," Naruto said, seeing the three have made up in their mind of joining up.

"Yes, we did, Naruto," Fal said, speaking for her friends and herself.

"Hmm, I see. I trust that Najenda told you three everything so far?" Naruto questioned, looking at boss.

"I have Naruto, most of it, but good enough information about Night Raid and our goals. They jump in to join once they found out you are in the group and don't want others to hit their end. Sounds familiar," Najenda replied.

"That makes sense and I take it that they will stay here for the time being," Naruto said, seeing the three girls not liking the idea to sit out.

"Yes, like he said last night, they need training first before doing missions. So, the day they will be with me as you are with Mine and the next day you will help them out with their training," Najenda informed.

"Sounds like a plan and now the waiting game keeps going," Naruto said, still waiting for his partner and handed out breakfast to Luna, Air, and Fal.

"Thanks, you Naruto," The girls replied, getting Naruto to smile and nodded his head in thanks.

"Oh, I won't worry about that Naruto," Najenda said with a smirk, remembering what she did not so long ago and set someone up.

"And why is that?" Naruto asked.

"Let's just say that today is a lesson for Tatsumi," Najenda said, not having her smile leave her face as she enjoyed her breakfast that was very good.

Before a word can be spoken, sounds of shouting and gunshots were heard upstairs of the base. The dinner room shock a little as some rocks fall off and everyone was not bothered by this, knowing who it was and could guest what today might be like.

"I would say you are going to have a hard one with Mine today, Naruto, but I think you will do just fine," Najenda commented with her smirk not going away, enjoying Tatsumi's bad luck.

"I think so as well," Caster said with a smirk and giggled at the bad luck, having a few of the Servants agreeing with her as well.

"Is there a wild party going on?" Leone asked, happily as she pops into the dining room.

"Maybe, but not that kind of party," Naruto answered, knowing that today he was going to have long one waiting for him.

**Time Skip **

**Capital – Shopping Area **

Naruto and Mine head to the Capital and started with their so-called mission, patrolling, but was more like shopping and the Dragon Knight was not bother by this. He had gone shopping with a good number of times with his Servants/girls and was fine with hanging out. Now he just needs to live for the day and see how being partner up with the pink-haired sniper works out.

So far, it's alright and how about we talk that for a bit.

First, Naruto and Mine went out for lunch which wasn't bad, but the knight likes to cook and the food at the dinner was alright for the most part.

Second, Mine had dragged Naruto into the clothing shop that had dress, shoes, and bras/panties. The Dragon Knight allowed the sniper to have her space but did saw of few of new dress and would say that she looks cute.

Third, came more shopping and Naruto had to carry the things but was easy as he brought shopping much to Mine's disappointment but works as the two kept going. This kept going until the pair come across a place with Sakura trees and the Dragon Knight happen to know this place as it had the best tea around.

"Nothing like a new pink dress to brighten up my day," Mine said, happily and smiled as she drinks some of her tea.

"I bet," Naruto said with a few slips of his tea, not paying any attention to Mine but rather the nice view of the river and Sakura trees.

Mine noticed this and wanted to test if Naruto was paying any attention as she said, "Nothing like to hang out on a day like this."

"Yep," Naruto simply said, getting the pink-haired sniper upset which now the knight noticed her.

Mine just hmphed with the upset look before dropping as she noticed that the Dragon Knight liked the nice few that the river was showing. Naruto saw the upset and decided to ease things up a bit.

"I'm sorry for paying any attention, Mine. I happen to like nature view. It sometimes can be peaceful or not, but sure does shows its beauty," Naruto said with a smile and looking Mine, who was blushing a little.

_"Damn that smile,"_ Mine thought, quickly calm down her blush and shook her head.

"I'm alright with shopping as I have gone out with my Servants before and nothing new to me. I would say today was relaxing," Naruto said, enjoying his tea to the peace and quiet today showed.

"Seems like an everyday basis for you," Mine commented, taking some slips of her tea.

"Indeed. It seems so but can be fun when hanging out with friends or family," Naruto agreed, smiling a little and wished a few of his family and other Servants from the Throne were here but was told that they show up in time.

At that point Mine stay quiet, not wanting to say something to get Naruto mad or remember his past with his former family. She can see some great similarities between her and him with a hard past. The pink-haired assassin had dealt with hash lifestyle when growing up and could understand trouble past, but the knight was far different from hers in every way.

Before Mine could say something to keep the talk going, a group of people were moving and started to make a scene which got the assassins' attention. A good number of people were seeing what noble justice the Capital was displaying like some news and caused many to be upset.

Naruto and Mine walk towards the area and see what's up, but soon changed that as they saw a good number of people being killed on the crossed for injustices. Mine was sickened by this and was so deep in her thoughts but was snap out when she heard the person next to her growing.

Naruto's head was lowered, eyes narrowed very dangers, hands clenched into a fist that was so close on drawing blood and growled like a dragon in deep rage. Ha hated this. He hated the whole Capital and the fat pig that toys with he wants.

Seeing the anger and need to leave, Mine had pulled Naruto away from the crowd and into a back alley to avoid anyone from seeing them. The Dragon Knight allowed the sniper to pull him away from the crowd as he needs to calm down before he makes an even bigger scene. He soon took deep breaths, calming himself down and was fine that.

"Don't like the Capital's main justice?" Mine asked, knowing the answer and have the same one.

"Yeah," Naruto replied as he was calm down and started to walk with Mine back to base, knowing that hanging was enough for now.

"Let's head back to base. I think boss might have another job for us to take and might help you get your mind off on what happened," Mine said, making a point.

"True, let's go," Naruto agreed as they head back to base for the next mission that will make everyone in Night Raid happy.

The night was coming soon and the next mission for Night Raid will start as they have a new target.

**Small Time Skip**

**Night Raid Base – Dining Room**

Everyone almost was in the dining room to hear what their boss as to say. The Servants were helping Luna, Air, and Fal with a few things that their shared master/lover ask them to take care of which was fine. Now to the meeting that was happening right now.

Najenda placed the papers on the table and said, "Listen up! We have two requests."

This got everyone's attention while enjoying some snacks and tea that the knight made for them.

The silver-haired boss took out a knife and planted on the middle, sticking the two papers together that showed Night Raid their two new targets.

Iokal was a fate man with tiny glasses on his nose and a combination of black and white hair. This was man happens to be a blood relative of the Prime Minister and has been using the minster's name for one thing. He abducts girls from the Capital and beast them up to death for his enjoyment. His five bodyguards also share his guilt as well.

Tonto is a younger man with glasses, a beanie hat, and ting mustache. He is a master of reputable and popular shop that donates money, but in truth, he's a thief that robs throughout the country. All the money he donates was stolen and a survivor from one his robberies made the request.

"A relative of our real target and a man with a dark past. Seems like we will be busy," Bulat said.

"For the Iokal mission, I want everyone on it, no second thoughts. Naruto's Servants can stay here and take care of our new recruits. As for Tonto, I need some confirmation before moving out," Najenda explained, making sense and everyone understand.

"Okay! I'll investigate him after we finish Iokal," Leone said, stretching her arms.

Naruto would offer Assassin for help, but he had a feeling that she will busy with helping the three girls and that was fine. The knight had a feeling that he will also be helping them and three more as well soon enough.

"Good," Najenda said with a node before taking a smoke of her cigar before looking at the people for the mission and spoke, "Tatsumi, Ieyasu, Sayo, I want you three to be Mine's and Naruto's bodyguards on this one."

It took a few moments for Mine, who was peaceful drinking her tea and then spit it all out in shock. The hot drink would have hit the Dragon Knight, but he duked on time and had the idea that was going to happen. Tatsumi and Ieyasu were shocked with their eyes widen. Naruto and Sayo stay calm.

"WHAT!" The three shouted in shock.

"Understood," Naruto said, being the thing and was fine with the mission.

"Why are you acting like normal?!" The three of the yelled/asked him, getting a shrugged off his shoulders for an answer.

"This is going to be a long night," Sayo groaned, knowing what the mission might look like.

Naruto shook his head and had a feeling that tonight was indeed going to be a long.

**Time Skip **

**Iokal's Mansion**

The night came by and Night Raid's next mission starts. Covering a mansion of the forest is where Iokal lives. The plan was to have Mine take the shoot at the target from an off-range place when he appears. The rest of the assassins will take care of the bodyguards once they come out. In the end, they will meet at a specific place when everything is finished.

Mine, Naruto, Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo were on a cliff that views the mansion. The three friends were looking through binoculars while the silver-haired knight was on top of a tree branch next to them. He had a black bow strap on his left shoulder, just in case.

"Damn, that's one big mansion," Tatsumi said, being speechless like his friends are of the building.

"That's a mansion? It looks like an inn in the middle of the forest to me," Naruto commented as he leans up against the tree.

The three teens look at the Dragon Knight with a are your serious face and wonder why he would think of that. At least the pink-haired sniper didn't think that.

"Is not surprising that you think that," Mine said, causing Tatsumi and Ieyasu to fall into the ground and almost caused the others to laugh at that.

It looks like she thought of the same thing as well but moving on.

"He IS a relative of the Minister," Mine said, preparing her gun before looking through the scope of her weapon and spoke again, "I can hit him from here no problem. The moment he comes out, his head is mine."

"And then, we only need to escort you to the rendezvous point. Easy!" Tatsumi said, returning from his shock.

"Yeah that sounds easy," Ieyasu agreed.

"Hmph, I don't expect either of you to be useful here," Mine commented, getting the two to have a tick mark.

"And I don't expect you to fail as our target is coming out," Naruto said, pointing at the mansion and made Mine's eyes widened that he was right.

The sniper looks through her scope to see the fate pig coming out with girls around him. Yep, disgusting pig indeed.

_"W-what?! How did he saw him?! He didn't have anything to watch from afar?!"_ Mine thought in shock but stopped to think back that Naruto was not the normal day person and was trained by people who are strong.

This was the first time that someone, other than herself, has seen something much faster and afar than her. She had a feeling that more moments like this will come later, but the mission will start soon enough.

"Well Mine, Sheele said you are, and I quote A professional sniper. Is it true?" Naruto asked with his smirk not leaving his face and trigger something up.

At those words, Mine's pride turns on and pointed at the target's head. She shot without a warning, firing a powerful yellow beam and shot through the women to enter right between the guy's eyes. It snapped backward, blood spraying out of the gaping hole in his head and the bastard was down.

Tatsumi and Ieyasu had their jaw fell from their mouth of such skill. Sayo was impressed with such snipping skill, being in awe shock. Naruto smirked, knowing that Mine can do it as he can do it as well with his bow and arrow.

"Does that answer your question to this Genius Sniper?" Mine asked with a smug smile.

Naruto jumps down from the branch and lands next to the pink-haired sniper to ruffle her hair with his right hand and caused her to blush in light red.

"Indeed. Glad to know that Sheele was right and now I feel confident that you will have those backs in our mission," Naruto said with a calm smile on his face.

Mine turn redder at the knight's actions, quickly swat the handoff her hair and said, "D-don't think so much about it! Who said that I would even have your back cover or theirs?!"

"Hey! OW!" The two boys shouted but were stopped when Sayo bonked them upside the head to quite them as they will still on a mission.

"A Genius Sniper never fails to save a part of her creed. It would be a disgrace to herself and the team. Support and good sniper are needed in every team," Naruto said with a good looking smiled.

Mine shut up, looking at the Dragon in surprised before quickly turn around to hide her blushed face and avoid that damn smile.

"A-Anyway, let's go!" Mine stated, starting the walk away and hide the red on her cheeks.

Naruto smiled with small chuckled, not pushing Mine or his luck. He knows what trouble might come at him from what happened this morning between Tatsumi and her. Oh, that was good, but could be bad if one not careful. He and the other three teens followed the sniper while the bodyguards from afar on facing their wrecking time at the hands of other members of Night Raid.

**Small Time Skip **

Naruto and Mine walk towards the place where the team should meet up with Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo walk ahead to scout ahead.

"Ugh! This route fucking sucks!" Mine complained as the two walks on a hill.

"I offer you piggy ride on my back if you want," Naruto offered.

"Yeah right. And then, you'll take the time to touch my ass," Mine retorted.

"I was rise to be good too women and give them respects," Naruto said, is his defense.

"But you're a boy," Mine said.

"…Got a point there," Naruto said with a blank look as the two keep on going.

The pair soon started to climb the edge of the hill towards the top with the knight in front and sniper behind.

"I have feeling that the five bodyguards will have trouble in dealing with us. Sure, they might be strong, but their pride will be their downfall," Naruto said as offered his right hand to help his partner which Mine took the head and was pulled up on the hill with the knight.

"True and I guess when your blood related to the minister that gives the right to whatever you want. Iokal can get away with anything because of the blood ties. It pisses me off so much," Mine said with her voice lowered and walked further to be in front.

Naruto followed behind and wonder about Mine. He could tell that the pink-haired sniper hates blood relatives and wonder what to her in the past. The Dragon Knight could guess it was a bad, maybe close to his, and different at the same time.

Mine looked back, seeing Naruto in deep thought and know why as she mentions her hate thing which that will get anyone to think of her past. She sighed and decided to share out.

"Since you have been good and…tried to help me. I'll tell you, Naruto, a little bit of my past," Mine said, taking a deep breath and started to explain her past to the Dragon Knight.

Mine was half tribal, born near th enation's western border and caused many to hate her within her hometown. She mocked and ostracized for just being who she is. No one accepted her and left her alone. A terrible childhood that most will understand.

The Revolutionary Army allied with the tribes of the west. When they make the new nation, diplomatic relations will finally open. More people like her will enter the Capital and children won't suffer the same way she did.

"I won't let anyone…Discriminated me," Mine said, after telling her past and paused for a moment.

Naruto looked at Mine in a new light and smiled of that dream she had. He knows a few back in the Throne that had a hardship or terrible childhood, but that had someone and made a dream through that. The Dragon Knight could understand the sniper very well and be tested when she spoke again.

"And when the revolution is over, I'll retire and be compensated with a lot of money!" Mine exclaimed, letting out a loud laugh and caused Naruto to chuckle a little at this.

Well, there's that and let's move on.

**Small Time Skip **

"Here we here. This is the place," Sayo said as the group had finally made it to the rendezvous point or meeting place at a Sakura tree.

"Well, we're here. Looks like the mission accomplished," Mine said.

"Is not completed until we report the mission," Tatsumi said as he and Ieyasu walked first into the opening area.

"Hmph! Acting like Akame, huh? You three are still rookies while Naruto here is more than that," Mine said, not noticing that someone was following them.

Naruto started to smell something hit his noise and noticed a shadow with a smirk had been following them since they got here. Mine and Sayo where in front and Tatsumi and Ieyasu were in the back of him.

Acting quickly and moving with lightning speed, the Dragon Knight pushed the girls out of the way and leg swing the boys off their feet before an upcoming ax swing kick could hit them. The four were the shock of what happened so fast and soon saw why that happen why they look up from the ground to see the bodyguard. The last one had passed by the other members of Night Raid made it here.

"Damn it. You ruin my attack. How did you notice that I was following you?" The last bodyguard asked.

"You smell like blood and shite. Sticking out like a sore thumb is not hard to notice you. Next time wear something else then silver armor, a former member of the Imperial Grand School," Naruto said, taunting his fool to come out in blind rage which it worked.

"Bastard!" The bodyguard shouted as he charged forward towards the Dragon Knight, but that was a big mistake on his part.

Within a quick motion and everyone was shocked fo what just happen. In quick second and flash of light, Naruto draws out Balmung and swung the right before the left. Most didn't saw what happen, but they did and saw what the Dragon Knight had done. He had cut off the bodyguard's arms off and blood oozes out, leaving the man armless and wide open before the final attack.

"Here's the final strike. Mine shoot him," Naruto ordered as he brought his bow and arrow.

Snapping out of her shocked state, Mine brought her gun and fired a powerful yellow beam of energy towards the bodyguard while Naruto fired a powerful arrow covered in blue/green mana. The two attacks blasted the fool apart, having two holes in his body. One in the head and last one in his gut, killing the last target of the mission.

Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo were in a shock of such speed and skill that Naruto just showed with a calm mind. It happens so fast and could tell that they have a long way to go, but that push them to get more training to get strong.

Naruto saw them in shock and soon spoke, "Don't worry my friends. I don't balm you for not noticing the fool before the last second, it happens. It's not bad to be a rookie or weak. Everyone starts off as weak, but that gives them the drive to become strong in two different ways either to do good or evil. It's in your hands my friends and I make a promise to you three. I vow to three that I'll help you, Tatsumi, Ieyasu, Sayo to get stronger and fight the evil within the Capital towards a new era of freedom. Starting tomorrow, we begin the training and a new chapter open for you three starts."

This caused the three teens to smile of Naruto's words and how he was going to train them to get strong for their own battles ahead. A long away was coming, but one that will have a friend to help.

Mine soon smiled at this and could tell that she will get along with Naruto very well. She started to see a big new light over the Dragon Knight and felt something rise within her. The sniper can't tell what it is now, but maybe one day she will find out soon enough.

Within the shadows and far away from the Sakura tree has a panther had watch the whole events and smirked of such new prey to stalk. Such strong and promising preys to fight for the Warrior Panther to take down. A new chapter was coming indeed, and one filled many events to happen soon enough.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6** **Reinforcements**

**AN: This chapter had some redoing many times and was close on writer's block but thanks to a great friend of mine, who is almost like a brother to me, fix this chapter and here we are. Be noted that my friend help wrote this chapter and let's give a good round of claps for him as the next chapter starts now. **

**Night Raid – Training Grounds**

"Stay calm, try to keep your breathing steady. Keep your feet planted firmly on the ground," Naruto calmly laid out his teachings to his newest student.

Sayo nodded her head a little whilst she followed what the self-proclaimed knight told her.

"Here I go!" She spoke up before pulling the bow's string back and aiming her shots.

The bow had a clean white color with silver and gold patterns along its length. Light blue energy arrows would form whenever Sayo pulled on its long string. This incredible weapon happened to originally belong to the man that killed the Son of the Sun God in a traitorous manner. Arjuna was his name, but Sayo needn't know about this story quite yet.

Sayo let the energy arrows fly at supersonic speed. She was natural, a fact that became obvious when she hit all targets dead in the center. Afterward, she took a deep breath and relaxed her arm.

"Good. We still have a long way to go, but this is a good start," Naruto reassured the young archer.

She merely nodded once more in agreement.

"Let's take a five-minute break for water, shall we? Those arrows don't come free— they're generated by your own energy so take it easy," The knight concluded.

"Okie Dokie!" She remarked enthusiastically before grabbing a nearby water bottle off the grass and taking in a few well-earned gulps.

Student and teacher rested for around four and a half minutes only to then resume their training with a good ten-mile run. Naruto saw a great deal of potential in Sayo, but he could tell she was still held back by youthful ignorance — something that could only be fixed by experience.

_"All in due time,"_ Naruto thought to himself.

**Night Raid – Dining Room**

Later in the morning Naruto and Akame were assigned to cooking duty — tonight's menu included steak and potatoes among other treats. The Dragon Knight had saved Mine's and Sheele's breakfast from a certain red-eyed katana wielder.

Naruto's many servants had no need to worry about sustenance. So, they were off somewhere doing their own thing.

"Akame tried to eat your meals, but I made her more and told her not to touch you girls' meals," Naruto informed Mine and Sheele as he took a seat.

Suddenly he started reading a unique book with a hardcover book.

"Thanks, Naruto — what is that you are reading?" Sheele questioned.

"Oh, this? It's a Bible written in French… it's quite special to me. After all, it was a birthday gift from my mother… she gave it to me long ago," Naruto answered.

"French?"

"Oh, right you guys don't have that here… never mind!" The knight smiled cheerfully.

"Where's Akame by the way?" Mine wondered after seeing that Akame was not cleaning the dishes or busy stealing her meal.

"Akame and Saber are helping Luna, Air, and Fal with their hunting skills. I offered to clean the dishes from breakfast," He answered before leaving his Bible on the table and getting up to clean the dishes.

"Huh, I see," Mine acknowledged.

"And everyone else?" Sheele pondered, not seeing anyone around.

"Lubbock went to the Capital in order to find information on a target named Tonto. Caster, Lancer, and Rider should be checking on the traps placed around the hideout and borders. The others I don't know, but I could guest that Tatsumi and Ieyasu are getting some training in."

"Makes sense," Mine remarked indifferently, getting the idea and Sheele agreed.

As breakfast came to an end, Najenda suddenly emerged. Her serious expression sent a distressful omen across the dining room setting Naruto, Mine, and Sheele on edge. With a darkened tone, she looked over towards the Dragon Knight.

Crossing her arms over her voluptuous blossom, the boss spoke in a commanding tone, "One of our undercover agents has gone silent… she was part of the Imperial guard and fed us information from the inside. She has been M.I.A for the last two nights."

"Sounds bad. The hell happened?" Mine inquired in her usual unapologetically loud manner.

"According to recent reports in the area, a psychopath named Zank has been beheading any citizens he comes across… if he by chance faced off against her unit — we should fear the worst," the boss put it bluntly.

"But you want me to check nevertheless," Naruto voiced his assumption.

"Yes… but you're not going alone. Leone will accompany you."

"What about Akame?"

"Akame, Bulat, and Tatsumi will be handling a situation regarding Bulat's former master. I'd appreciate if a few of your companions could accompany them," Najenda elaborated.

"Sure thing… time to bring a madman to justice!" The young knight proclaimed enthusiastically whilst slamming his fists together.

Unbeknownst to the powerful warrior what awaited him was no simple endeavor.

**Time Skip**

**Hours later — In the backstreets of the Capital City**

When the clock struck midnight, two silhouettes crossed a myriad of alleyways at seemingly impossible speeds. To the trained eye, these were Naruto the Dragon Knight and Leone of Night Raid. Like lightning bolts, the two crossed the dark in search of their target.

With the wind blowing against her long hair and her well-developed form accompanying her acrobatic movement, Leone looked like a beautiful beast under the ever-present moonlight. This drew Naruto's eye to her as she rushed ahead of him. On a purely instinctual level, he grew to appreciate her feminine figure more and more.

"I see you staring at my ass! …Not that I mind," The spunky female remarked before casually looking over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of the knight's muscular frame.

"Please Leone, you've been checking me out for the last hour," He accurately retorted.

"Bout time ya noticed. How about we slip into one these alleyways and—"

"I appreciate the thought, but we should focus on the mission first," The knight's common sense trumped his desire for that wild, honest woman.

Nevertheless, he did blush at the thought as they continued to dash through the empty streets and dirty alleyways until finally…

"What the fuck?!" Leone shouted as she suddenly came to a halt alongside Naruto.

What they saw was hard to process.

Lying dead on the street was the corpse of the man they were after. Mangled, bifurcated, broken beyond repair. The face of the executioner had been ripped off completely leaving him a husk of muscle and blood. Moreover, his eye sockets were empty, and his chest had been decorated with a seemingly endless number of claw marks. Next to Zank were the beheaded, desecrated corpses of the under-covered agent and her unit of Imperial troops.

"He killed them… but something even scarier than him came and ended his life," Naruto analyzed.

Outside of the duo's view, a mysterious stranger watched the scene from atop a nearby rooftop. This entity possessed long, light blue hair and animalistic dark blue eyes. Furthermore, a white bodysuit-like armor decorated his slim yet defined figure. His beastly claws were drenched in blood and guts, not to mention the devious grin he sported while cloaked in the darkness.

A single thought crossed that deranged killer's mind, _"You'll be on the chopping block next… Dragon Knight."_

**Time Skip **

**Days Later — Night Raid Headquarters**

"To conclude this meeting… let's recap recent events," Najenda calmly spoke addressing the assassins and heroes that gathered before her, "Gensei was killed off by Bulat after an arduous match between master and student, and during this altercation, the old man mentioned that his greatest student, Takeo, would put an end to the rebels. In the meantime, Naruto and Leone found out that Zank the executioner had met an unexpected early demise… possibly at the hands of this Takeo. Lastly, Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo managed to retrieve the daughter of former Prime Minister Chouri, but we could not save her father. Spear-chan, again… welcome to Night Raid. You can count us to keep you safe and train you into a strong fighter."

"I will do my best, boss…" The petite blond girl or Spear spoke meekly

She still wore the same winter coat and a large hat used in her travels.

"To be completely honest we wouldn't have made it without help… not without their help," Tatsumi remarked while looking at the new servants' present.

The Knight Of Rebellion; Mordred, The Chosen Of The Goddess Artemis; Atalanta, The Unloved Bride; Frankenstein's Monster or Fran for short, and finally the skimpily dressed killer Lolita; Jack the Ripper.

"Truly impressive… now that the Three Beasts are gone and buried, we can focus on preparing ourselves for a future confrontation with Esdeath. Now that her personal guard has lost its best men… she will be looking for replacements," Najenda observed.

"Oh also," Naruto interrupted and spoke, "It's about time you guys tell them your true names. We all need to be on equal ground here."

And so, they did just that.

Heroes from myth, figures of mystery, and others of equal renown and glory — all revealed at last. The struggles to come would be difficult and no doubt these heroes and the Dragon Knight would be Night Raid's greatest weapon in the fight against a world of corruption.


	7. Chapter 6 and half

**Chapter 6.5 A Wild Night (Lemon)**

**Night Raid – Naruto's Bedroom**

It was a quiet evening, everyone was in bed after a long day of work, the winds were calm and lightly caressing the trees, and the sound of water gently flowing down the river could be heard creating a relaxing atmosphere.

Nevertheless, the Dragon Knight would be given a chance to rest.

Suddenly, Naruto felt a pair of warm arms suddenly wrapped around him, hands that were slowly rubbing his torso; a pair of legs that were not his own also coiled themselves around the lower half of his body. Moreover, two large lumps of flesh nuzzled deeply in his back. These were, no doubt, the features of an all too familiar woman.

"Hey there Naruto-kun~?" Leone whispered softly.

"Need me for something?" The Knight mused sarcastically.

"Well? How about we get down to business already? A man like you wouldn't mind another concubine in your harem would ya~" She teased lovingly.

"Very well," He concurred.

Without any more words, Leone reached up and turned his head to face her.

Following her gentle pull, Naruto turned his body over and laid on his back only to then look into her amber-colored eyes which had become filled with desire. She brought her face close to his closing her eyes and placing her lips on top of his. She kissed his lips lightly then started pushing herself into it making the contact deeper. Her right hand continued to caress his body gradually feeling the "meaty" texture of his muscular frame all the while gradually sliding her hand lower toward his pelvic region.

Her hand slid lower and lower until she arrived at where she wanted to touch. Already, she could feel Naruto's bulge coming from the underwear he had on. She giggled again as she broke away from the kiss.

"Your body is quite honest here," She observed him.

She rubbed the top of his crotch trying to stir him with more excitement. He squirmed slightly due to his sensitivity.

Leone began to pull on his underwear trying to get him to take them off which he gladly did after catching on to what she wanted. He reached down and pulled them off leaving him completely exposed underneath the covers like she was.

"Oh, my~," She said ascertaining his length, wrapping her hand gently around it and began to stroke him up and down which caused his manhood to swell becoming more and more erect.

"I bet this feels really good to you," Leone whispered in his ear.

She began to pick the pace; her strokes became longer and faster as she strove to make him excited.

"I want to play more before you let out that first load," Leone said.

Leaning up, Leone tossed the blankets over to the side and slid down toward his pelvic area and stroked him again. She kissed down his chest until she was hovering over it.

"Thanks for the meal," The wild woman said.

In that next instant, Leone had taken his penis into her mouth all the way down to the base. Her head began bobbing up and down as she sucked on him. She kept doing it repeatedly until she suddenly stopped. Naruto then looked down to see that she had taken his member and placed it between her breasts.

"Now let's see how much you got stored for me when I do this!" Leone boasted, squeezing her breasts tightly around his cock, she moved up and down.

An indescribable sensation of pleasure washed over Naruto causing him to grip his bed tightly. She stroked him intensely with her breasts, teasing the tip of his cock each time it broke through her cleavage. He felt that stirring feeling building up again in his pelvic region.

"Come on give it to me, shoot your stuff right now," She demanded to take his dick back into her mouth.

"Hell yeah!" He gasped whilst releasing a torrent of fluid inside her mouth.

There was so much that it was spilling back out.

Leone, however, swallowed it all down her throat.

"Damn, that was really thick!" She sounded pleased when she was rubbing his cock again and spoke, "Hmm, it doesn't look like you are done either. Guess I'm gonna have to really wring it out of you good."

Positioning herself up by gently pressing on his chest, the blonde raised herself up and took his member in hand before slowly inserting inside her vagina. She then pushed her hips down and in one go, Naruto was completely engorged within her. He gasped in the sudden feeling of being inside of her.

"Wow, this is much bigger than I expected but it's a nice fit!" Leone boasted and winced in pleasure as she began to ride up and down on his cock.

"Oh FUCK! I can't even remember the last time I had a cock this good!" She declared moving faster and faster.

"I see you like being on to," Naruto joked as he held onto her hips.

"Good, just relax and let me do all the work," Leone said then she leaned down and kissed him deeply.

The wild woman sat back up and began to bounce up and down on the Knight. Thanks to this, her breasts bouncing all over in a rapid motion whilst her inner walls clenched around his cock making her tighter.

"I'm almost there just hold on a little longer!" Leone shouted as bounced on him faster and faster as his cock went deeper inside of her.

"Leone…."

"Let's do it at the same time. Let it all out inside me, it's a safe day!" Leone panted, getting a nod from Naruto as they kept going.

Leone kept going and going until finally, she felt it. One final thrust was all it took for her to release her juices once more. Simultaneously, the knight had reached his climax spilling all his seed inside of her. The fluids mingled together and oozed out of her.

Leone then collapsed leaning on Naruto's chest.

"That was… amazing!" Leone breathed heavily before kissing him once more.

"You know… Mine's room is right next to mine. She probably heard you moaning considering how loud you were," Naruto remarked jokingly.

"Then let's keep her listening to us all night~" Leone concluded only to begin stroking the knight yet again.

The two would catch no sleep tonight.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 Advent of the Panther**

**Night Raid – Naruto's Bedroom**

Within the confines of the Dragon Knight's bedroom, two lovers slept after their wild night together. The blanket hardly covered up the two as they rested peacefully in each other arms. On one hand, Naruto had his arms wrapped around Leone's waist. She, on the other hand, had her arms wrapped around her lover's neck and her legs placed on top of his.

Even though she was still sleeping, Leone had a smile on her face. Likewise, the Knight looked happy as he stroked her hair gently.

The sounds of Leone rustling as she started waking up caused Naruto to snap out of his train of thought and stare at the lioness before him.

"Good morning," Leone greeted him as she rubbed her cheeks against his.

"Morning," Naruto casually greeted back with a subtle smile.

"Last night was great… definitely somewhere in the top 10 best nights I've ever had, Naruto-kun~" she playfully teased.

"Only the top 10? You must be popular," he sarcastically shot back.

"Aite… Top 5. Somewhere in there ya happy?"

"Better, but I aim to be number 1," he dramatically spoke to make himself sound cooler.

"You wish, darling."

The two laughed at their own lack of decency.

"Question time," Naruto declared.

"Shoot."

"Will this be a one night stand, or something more? Because if you are going to join the harem, I'd hope my girls told you the rules beforehand."

"Rules? Bitch please, I'm a lion, not a pussy. I'll handle you and your side hoes."

"HA! Right, you try saying that to Gil-chan's face," he casually deflected humorously.

"Hell no dude, that Goldy bitch looks like she has a stick permanently stuck up her ass!" Leone accurately remarked.

"...Well, it's usually my stick."

They burst out laughing afterward. Thank God the King of Heroes wasn't around to hear this.

"For real though… you in?" Naruto inquired once again.

"Let's see~" Leone spoke with a devious smirk before capturing the knight's lips. The pair could have gotten wilder but they were stopped when…

"HOLD IT YOU PERVERTS!" a familiar female voice yelled out causing the pair to stop and turn their head only to see the pink-haired sniper at the doorway.

"Oh, morning Mine. How did you sleep last night?" Leone asked very casually.

"How did I sleep!? I hardly got any sleep last night thanks to you two going at it like wild rabbits!" Mine shouted relentless with an obnoxious voice and rosy cheeks.

"Sorry about that Mine-chan. Maybe next time you can join in if you want?" Naruto offered.

"Ohhhh~ a threesome? That would be wild, Naruto-kun," Leone approved.

At this point, Mine was as red as a tomato. She shook her head whilst fighting the embarrassment away.

"Just get dressed you, dummy!" Mine snapped nervously before slamming the door shut.

Mine walked away and back to her room, not noticing that Medea and Medusa were watching her with a smile on their faces. Oh yeah, they could tell what was going on in the sniper's head.

In the meantime, Naruto and Leone laughed a little before getting up and quickly dressing for the morning.

"Hey, Leone-chan?" Naruto called out just before they left the room.

"Yes?" Leone asked.

"Look here," Naruto replied while bringing his right hand onto the right side of Leone's neck. Shortly afterward a mark shaped like a black dragon mark appeared there. She touched it for a second, feeling its warm.

"That's the crest of the Crimson Dragon… the God of the extinct Ryu-jin race. He's just a myth but, my family used to tell me stories about him all the time. Anyways, I give one of those marks to my closest friends and also my girls. It lets both of us find each other no matter the distance… it's an eternal bond in a way."

"Well aren't ya just the most sentimental little shit I've ever dated," she laughed it up.

"Leone… it's serious."

"I know," she placed a hand on his right cheek, "I appreciate it silly. Now get a move on, the others are waiting."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief as the two ventured into the hallway outside. Leone was truly wild, but that made him enjoy having her around that much more.

**Night Raid – Training Grounds**

Today's spectacle took place in the training grounds of Night Raid's headquarters. A sparring session between teacher and students — Naruto was finally giving out lessons to his newest apprentices; Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo while the remainder of Night Raid and the Heroic Servants watched from the sidelines.

Spear would have joined them, but Naruto wanted her to simply watch and learn for the time being. She also had just gotten her weapon — a silver lance.

Luna, Air, and Fal had done their own training with their new weaponry. Luna gained a ring with a blue jewel, this item was known as 'Water Dragon Possession: Black Marlin' a Teigu formerly owned by the leader of the Three Beasts. Air gained a crimson fan with blades in it, this was the 'Wind Dragon's Breath: Tailwind' which happened to be one of the Teigu Naruto found when he first arrived in this world. Similarly, Fal gained a Teigu that Naruto found, a golden sword with a green jewel in its hilt — this was the Fire Dragon's Inferno: Blaze.

For this sparring session, Naruto had his swords and bow strapped to his back. In his hands, he wielded a golden spear.

"Stop using attacks that anyone could figure out. Use what you have learned!" The Knight ordered whilst he continued to effortlessly parry Tatsumi's wild and uncoordinated attacks.

Tatsumi listened closely to what his new friend had to say and promptly followed his advice by starting to alternate the direction of his swings in a more thoughtful and elegant manner.

Naruto could tell that when Tatsumi focused, the boy's speed and strength increased considerably. No doubt thanks to his training with Bulat and Scathach.

"Raw strength is good, but you must exercise control over your emotions. Following your opponent's movement is also key, don't lose them, and don't let them outsmart you because you lost your cool," Naruto informed diligently.

"Right!"

Tatsumi suddenly jumped up high only to then bring his sword down in a downwards motion. Naruto simply sidestepped to the right in order to dodge.

"Good, you're starting to use your head," The Knight complimented. It may have been a simple move, but Tatsumi was precise and quick. A less skilled opponent would simply lack the reaction speed to process it.

"Now it's my turn," Naruto proclaimed before darting towards Tatsumi at lightning speed. He swung his leg like it was an ax about to chop through a tree. The hit connected with Tatsumi's gut causing the youth to howl in pain before the strength of the impact propelled him backward like a rag doll.

Alas, Tatsumi's flight ended when he came back first against a tree. He still, remarkably, managed to stand back up on his feet. Though he was clearly close to his limits given blood dripped down his lip and his hands trembled, unable to bear the weight of the blade he carried.

"I admire your will power," Naruto admitted before stabbing his spear against the ground and swiftly summoning Gram shortly afterward.

"RAHHH!" Tatsumi dashed at the Dragon Knight at full speed whilst aiming to thrust his blade into the man's heart. It was clear he was giving his all.

"Courage is good, but…"

Naruto sidestepped out of the way again at the last possible moment and swiped one of his legs in order to knock Tatsumi flat on his face.

By the time the courageous boy had time to turn over on his back and try to get up, he already a shiny blade pointed at him.

"Good match, you're getting better," Naruto complimented the boy.

Sensing imminent danger, Naruto quickly did a 180-degree turn and rushed over to his spear. He pulled it out of the ground and began to quickly spin it around like a helicopter blade in order to block an onslaught of energy arrows unleashed towards him.

Though still inexperience, Sayo was still armed with one of the most dangerous Noble Phantasms Naruto had ever come across. Therefore, he had to keep his guard up when facing her.

Without delay, Naruto appeared in front of Sayo in the blink of an eye giving her no room to aim. He then used the blunt end of his spear to make her trip over and fall on her butt.

"Nice try, but next time try to focus your strength in one decisive attack… spamming arrows will do no good," Naruto thoughtfully informed before blocking an upcoming battle-ax coming at him from behind. He did not even bother to turn around — instead blocking the ax by placing Gram over his shoulder.

Ieyasu had just begun to use his new weapon. This was the Teigu that Mordred took from one of the fallen Three Beasts — the battle ax named 'the Double-Bladed Axe: Belvaac.'

Ieyasu swung Belvaac relentlessly towards Naruto like a mad beast, but the knight parried every attack with his legendary sword. To counter this, Ieyasu jumped back a few feet and split his Teigu into two only to then start hammering out his dual attacks onto the knight. Nevertheless, Naruto matched him blow for blow until finally…

"Sloppy!"

Naruto duked downwards in a flash and used his legs to sweep Ieyasu off of his feet. As a result of this, Ieyasu fell flat on the ground, his weapon sliding away on the grass.

Without hope of winning, Ieyasu jumped back to his feet ready for a fist fight. The Dragon Knight answered respectfully by putting his two weapons away and assuming a boxing stance.

"No way! I won't lose like this!" Ieyasu shouted as he charged at Naruto.

And then…

It was over in a total of six strikes

The first was an open-palm strike to the chest which caused Ieyasu to clutch his heart in pain. Second and third were karate chops to each of Ieyasu's shoulders. Fourth and fifth were quick and effective kicks to the kneecaps causing immediate loss of balance. Last but not least, the sixth strike was a flick on the forehead delivered just before Ieyasu collapsed onto the ground.

Needless to say, Ieyasu would be out cold for a few hours.

Naruto shook his head. He could tell that Tatsumi, Sayo, and Ieyasu were strong, but they still had a very long way to go.

"Class dismissed for now… time to heal up," Naruto declared only to then kneel down beside Ieyasu. Tatsumi and Sayo also quickly made their way over to him.

"Goddess Bliss."

Naruto's hands were covered in translucent white mana. His magic rapidly made their wounds vanish like they were never there to begin with.

"Whoa!" was the only word the trio could say.

The knight smiled proudly as the mana died down. Goddess Bliss was a healing spell that Naruto created with the help of his mother and aunt in the Throne of Heroes. It was like a personal treasure to him.

"Alright, everyone time for round 2!"

**Time Skip**

Noon soon came after long hours of training. Lunch was pretty much the same as before with Naruto and Akame in charge of cooking it. Things were quiet around the base for the most part and everyone was enjoying the cozy atmosphere, but that changed when Najenda suddenly barged in after being absent for a day and called upon everyone for a meeting.

"We have new assignments. I'll be splitting you into five teams so be ready!"

**1st team:** Leone, Katou Danzou, and Jack the Ripper would go into the Capital to spy on Esdeath.

**2nd team:** Naruto, Akame, Lubbock, Spear, Musashi (Saber), Tomoe (Archer) are sent to a village to protect a group handing out food to those in need.

**3rd team:** Bulat, Tatsumi, and Ieyasu will protect a group of a businessman who secretly supports the Rebels and the Revolutionary Army. They will be traveling in a large ship.

**4th team:** Mine, Sheele, Sayo, Luna, Air, Fal, Scathach (Lancer), and Medusa (Rider) are to serve as bodyguards of a church that has been under heavy pressure to stop taking in homeless.

**5th team:** Najenda will meet with her spies in the Capital. Mordred (Saber), Medea (Caster), Atalanta (Archer), and Fran (Berserker) will be accompanying her just in case.

The members of Night Raid and the other Heroic Spirits quickly mobilized and were soon ready to head out. However, something still bothered the Dragon Knight.

"Has anyone seen Gilgamesh?" he inquired the group as a whole.

"She apparently went back to the Throne of Heroes a while ago. She said being among 'weak-willed children'' had her bored… so she just fucked right off," Mordred clarified.

"Oh great," Naruto replied sarcastically.

Alas, the teams moved out.

**Days later — Somewhere in the Outskirts of the Imperial border**

Watching members of royalty giving out food to villagers was quite something. Naruto and Tomoe were on point, but for the most part, all they had to do was see smiles return to people who had not fed in weeks.

"Don't let your guard down," Sayo informed the pair as a bad feeling crept up on her.

"Right, right. We got it," the knight calmly remarked.

Naruto, Akame, Musashi and Tomoe stood quiet as they watched Lubbock, Sayo, and Spear taking the first overnight watch. They felt something off like a sudden dread had washed over them. The older killers in the group knew what this could mean but kept silent about it. Nevertheless, all they could do was have faith that the others were safe.

"Please be alright guys…"

**Out in the open sea — Large Yacht**

The light, morning breeze brought the smell of seawater to those onboard the large vessel cruising the waters of the mighty Empire. Tatsumi and Ieyasu, a pair of countryside bumpkins ignorant to the beauties of the world, could do naught but admire that tantalizing vista. Alongside them, the older male, Bulat, enjoyed their youthful nature more than the waters themselves.

"Aniki, Aniki! This is so awesome!" the boy with emerald green eyes shouted enthusiastically, his messy hair dancing in the wind all the while.

"We've never been so far out of the Empire… makes ya figure how small we really are," Ieyasu added.

"That's true. Though I wouldn't really worry about it. After all, no matter how small we are, all of us still got a part to play in saving the people of the Empire!" Bulat proclaimed in his usual down to earth "Big Bro" tone before dramatically flexing his biceps.

Tatsumi answered with a smile, Bulat's happiness was almost contagious to him.

"Will I ever be able to inspire people like you do, Aniki?" Doubt still reigned supreme in the young adventurer's heart.

"Hey Bulat, you think we'll run into any trouble in this trip?" Ieyasu kept the conversation going.

Bulat smirked in response. "Worry not! Even if someone tries to get in our way, Big Bro here promises he will keep ya safe," he said whilst giving out a big thumbs up.

In that joyous moment, a new presence appeared on the grounds of the yacht's deck.

"Let us test how far you're willing to go in order to keep that promise then…"

A beast amongst men.

Its fangs bearing upon the flesh of the weak, the humanoid creature attacked Ieyasu first.

"Guh!" the young man grunted in pain as sharp claw-like nails penetrated his gut.

"Die!" the blue-haired beast screamed out loud only to shortly afterward toss Ieyasu clean across the deck like he was a paperweight. Nevertheless, the boy was fortunate enough not to go overboard.

"Bastard!" Tatsumi reached for his blade, but before he could complete the motion the beastman had grabbed him by the neck and effortlessly suspended him midair with one hand. In the meantime, no words came from Bulat. Instead, Incursio in its blade form was brought down upon the new presence's back, but its armored body completely stopped the blade dead in its tracks.

Awestruck by that man's strength, Bulat came to the obvious conclusion. "It's you, isn't it? You're the one who killed Zank the Executioner… why are you attacking us if you're also killing Imperials?"

"Ah… Bulat the 100 Man-Slayer! Liver spoke highly of you back when I was still on their side… said that you were one of the few who could match the Ice Bitch. My name is Takeo, and I am here to test your strength for myself!" the madman screamed at the top of his lungs. He then launched Tatsumi across the deck so he would fall right on top of Ieyasu as he still tried to get up. The result? Both of the boys were knocked out cold.

Taking a few steps back, Bulat breathed in the sea air to calm his nerves.

"Tch… why—

"I only seek to battle the strongest. My allegiance is irrelevant, I simply wish to end you to prove I can do so!" Takeo interrupted him.

"..."

In Bulat's eyes, there seemed to be no saving this strange, beastly man.

"Very well then, we shall settle this like warriors. INCURSIO!"

Encased in the crimson radiance of Tyrant's flames, Bulat's body was enveloped in that ephemeral light only to become empowered by a powerful, armored incarnation of the dragon's body. Incursio took its iconic form before Takeo's widened eyes, the raw pressure and heat unleashed by the Teigu were able to push the mysterious attacker back slightly.

"Come!" both warriors shouted simultaneously as they leaped several feet in the air and towards each other.

Bulat's halberd tore the wind apart as he swung it down at Takeo who merely responded by meeting his bold opening move with a punch. The clash of weapon against fist broke the sound spectrum many times over given the massive eruption of a powerful wave of kinetic force. It relentlessly dispersed in all directions causing the yacht itself to shake and the waves in the sea to grow violent.

By the time Bulat and Takeo landed back on the deck, the ship passengers previously located in the fancy halls downstairs had come all the way out to see just what the hell was happening.

"OUT OF THE WAY SHEEP!" Takeo screamed whilst charging at the crowd like a panther ready to kill its prey.

"Not so fast!"

Bulat met Takeo's murderous charge with a powerful shoulder charge of his own. Once they made contact, Bulat grabbed the man's waist and used the momentum to drag him across the deck all the way near the edge.

"Guh! Bastard!"

"We're taking this battle somewhere else!" the Night Raid assassin proclaimed as the two broke the railing and tumbled over into the waters below.

The darkness of the ocean was overwhelming, but it would not last.

"NOT GOOD ENOUGH, BULAT!" the Warrior Panther proclaimed in his mind before he freed one of his fists and launched an uppercut straight to his foe's armored jaw. The impact sent him flying upward.

"Rah-GAH!"

A battle once plunged in darkness was taken to the skies as Bulat's body pierced through the very clouds above like a missile. Incursio's helmet had broken apart revealing Bulat's bloody face — that one punch alone was much like a small nuclear weapon in terms of attack potency except condensed into a single point. The armor did its job, but it would not stand a chance in a prolonged fight.

"ANIKI!"

"Bulat-sensei! Kick his ass!"

Tatsumi and Ieyasu called out to their friend and mentor after regaining their conscious. However, Bulat could not afford to focus on them. In that picosecond, that unfathomably small window of time he had before the laws gravity would order him to descend, he had to find a way to kill Takeo or at the very least change the tide of battle.

"Tyrant… if thy heart still beats within this shell, give me the strength to bring forth victory! No matter the cost"

The visage of his students, his Night Raid comrades, people who would live and die for him if need be came to his mind.

"Huh… this has been a good life, hasn't it? I may not prevail today, but my sacrifice will open a path towards a new tomorrow… I swear!"

Engulfed in bright crimson flames, Bulat dove downwards like a meteor. His eyes had taken the aspect of Tyrant, his armor grew to possess wings and a more complex set of plating. Lastly, his face was that of a draconic being, a human on the verge of being consumed by the beast within.

Now a flaming meteor — Bulat screamed all of his determination out as he plummeted:

"INNNCUUURSIIOOO!

Meeting his challenge head-on, Takeo shot out of the sea and readied his claws for the impact.

And what an impact it was…

The two stars collided, one rising, one falling. Their pressure split the very oceans apart like something out of the bible. Moreover, all lands across the entire world felt the impact in the form of earthquakes. But for those watching this titanic struggle in the immediate area, everything turned into a bright white expanse of energy. The Yacht itself was blasted majorly off course by the large wind blasts, but it was still seaworthy for the most part.

When the tides settled down Bulat and Takeo were nowhere to be seen.

" Aniki…" a feeling dread had begun to set in Tatsumi's heart. Similarly, Ieyasu shook his fists in complete and utter embarrassment over his downright shameful display in this fight.

But alas… the victor was revealed when Takeo suddenly jumped out of the waters and landed back on the ship. His armor was cracked all over, and the blade form of Incursio was impaled through his heart, but he was still standing.

"You… where's Aniki?!" Tatsumi asked desperately.

Takeo, however, was brutally honest.

"Your mentor is dead… his entire body was atomized in our last clash. But he still managed to do this much damage to me… no one has ever been able to do so," he explained before reaching for Incursio's handle and effortlessly pulling it out of his heart only to then toss it over to Tatsumi.

"It's your turn… take your master's blade and avenge him. Otherwise, I'll start killing the passengers on this ship one by one… and then your friend over there."

The hole in Takeo's chest closed in a matter of seconds, but his armor stayed cracked. The odds were still against Tatsumi nonetheless.

"I…" the boy grasped Bulat's blade.

"Do it!" the battle-hungry Takeo pushed, but he would not have his way today.

"A mongrel like you dares dishonor the dying wish of the warrior you've just fought?" the daring voice of a certain King reached the Warrior Panther.

"You…"

Listlessly floating above the yacht, Gilgamesh looked down on the mad beastman.

"That's impossible… you went back to the Throne of Heroes! Naruto didn't summon you here!" Takeo shouted desperately.

"Ho? Bold of you to assume I need that worthless man in order to manifest into this world. You think you know much, mongrel, but the truth is you're a sad, worthless child who knows naught of true power. I, the King of Heroes, will show it to you… true, almighty strength."

The king carried a weapon in hand…

"In mourning of the retainer you have killed, I shall offer this one strike as the ceremony of his end! I speak of a recreation of the beginning. Heaven and earth are divided and true nothingness celebrates Creation. My Sword of Rupture rends the world apart. The vortex that turns the stars, this heavenly hell signifies the end of the eve of Genesis. Takeo, subside with your death!"

That's right.

The Sword of Rupture: Ea — the Ultimate Noble Phantasm of Gilgamesh, a Divine Construct so old that it predates the very concept of swords. It is a weapon that is hers and hers alone, existing only within the Gate of Babylon. It was created by the Gods of Yore for the purpose of cultivating entire Worlds. As a matter of fact, it was used in the creation of the World itself before ultimately ending up in Gilgamesh's hands.

Its crimson winds broke time and space apart as the vortex formed around the Golden King.

_"That is quite enough for today… Takeo. I don't need you dead,"_ a disembodied voice called out to Bulat's killer. And then, Takeo's body seemingly vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Hum… a coward after all," Gilgamesh spoke bluntly as she put Ea away in the Gate of Babylon.

The battle was over, but the scars left upon those involved were far too great.

"Aniki…" Tatsumi held back his tears while holding the Teigu he inherited.

The victory Night Raid wanted was achieved, but at what cost?


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 Jaegers**

**AN: Welcome back everyone. I have a few things to address before the chapter starts. A good friend of mine, who is almost like a brother to me, and I are going over updated/rewrites for some of the older chapters. The idea is to fix most typos and sentence structure issues so that everyone can have a smoother reading experience.**

**I won't say the name of this friend for now since a few will know him or have already caught on. I'm saving something big for later in the story. Trust me, it will be great.**

**Umu! Now let's enjoy the next chapter. This time around we finally get to see Naruto meet the one and only Ice Queen herself, Esdeath.**

**Night Raid – Tatsumi's Room**

**Gurenge by Lisa **

It was morning and things were quiet in the assassin's deen. Five days had come and gone since Bulat's death yet an atmosphere of dread lingered evermore. To the younger killers of the group, a loss like this felt unreal. Bulat's sheer presence was enough to uplift any feeling of hopelessness, but now that tantalizing light had been taken away before any could prepare.

All that was left of that brilliant man was the Incursio he passed on to his student and brother-in-arms Tatsumi. Yet the boy felt he could not hope to live up to those expectations.

After delivering his report the boy locked himself within his bedroom and had only be seen outside during meals. In his eyes, the need for revenge against the bastard who killed was overflowing.

Takeo… if Gilgamesh had not stepped in when she did everyone in that ship would be dead.

One night the Dragon Knight bumped into Tatsumi in the hallways of Night Raid HQ. Seeing his face brought a lot of anger to Tatsumi, so much so he snapped at Naruto as the echoing thunder and torrential winds could be heard outside.

_"You just don't get it… you don't know what loss is like."_

_"I don't understand? I don't fucking understand your pain!? I was fucking sold by my biological parents into slavery. I could have given up and died but you know what? That didn't happen, I didn't give up on hope and that allowed me to break free from those chains… the only form of happiness I found was my adopted family, and I learned from them that I can't save everyone. You should learn that and control your emotions before you go acting all like a bitch. Death is death, you can't change that, but you can have that make you strong and honor Bulat's legacy by fighting the Empire to the very end."_

Naruto's words keep on replaying inside Tatsumi's head for the rest of the night. Sayo came in his room, later on, to help him by being a shoulder to lean on and cry. In the meantime, Ieyasu continued to train in order to deal with his mourning.

Though the pain was overwhelming, truth is Tatsumi knew he needed to rise up.

He needed to make Bulat proud.

"No more," Tatsumi spoke to himself as he held the Incursio blade.

**Imperial Capital – The Following Day**

While everyone had their own way of dealing with the pain, Naruto was different. The knight liked to think things over by his lonesome so he departed to the Capital without telling anyone but his Servants.

A part of the knight couldn't help but blame himself in a way for Bulat's death. If one of his Servants or himself were there, the outcome might've been different.

Naruto sighed as he walked amidst a crowd of citizens.

"It's hard and I hate feeling like I can't save everyone… but I understand that saving one life means losing another."

Flashes of his past came to mind.

The world he came from… he did not remember much of his first home, he was too young back then. However, he did recall that it was a large estate with a beautiful courtyard wherein his brother and sister would train daily to impress their father.

Minato Namikaze… a ruthless leader hellbent on securing the future of his prestigious bloodline.

All Naruto remembered of his father was that man's disgusted face whenever he saw his "worthless" son, a child born without chakra. Someone like that would get to live while a gentle soul like Bulat died so horrifically.

That thought alone made Naruto clench his fists in anger.

Amid that storm of thought, Naruto ran across a large gathering of people around a coliseum-like arena. Around the area, posters and advertisements for a martial arts tournament could be seen plastered across the walls as people poured inside the arena.

The Dragon Knight smiled at this discovery like it was a heaven-sent gift. After all… to him, there was no better stress reliever than punching someone in the punch.

**Capital's Coliseum – Tournament Arena**

After a series of standard matches, the tournament was entering the final rounds of the first day and the stands were packed to the brim. In contrast, a dissatisfied yawn could be heard from in the Imperial stands where the Ice Queen herself resided.

This tournament was no more than a cover-up for her quest to find a man worthy of her affection. So far not a single combatant had caught her attention.

"How utterly uninteresting," Esdeath muttered in a bored tone whilst resting her chin on her fist.

But that attitude was about to change. On the dueling grounds a member of Esdeath's new squad the Jaegers, a boy named Wave, announced the next match.

"Okay, everyone! Time for the final match of the day!" He announced before pointing to his left, "In the east corner! We have Kalbi the Butcher!"

The crowd erupted in cheers as a massive dark-skinned man, at least 7 feet tall, who wore a bull mask walked into the arena.

"And in the west corner! We have Naruto the Warden!" Wave announced as Naruto slowly walked into the scene. People laughed at the enormous size difference between the two, but Naruto didn't seem to care at all.

"Not gonna give up huh? You little shit," Kalbi taunted the Warden.

"You should probably back out now while you have the chance kid! Because I sure the as fucking hell ain't gonna hold myself back from breaking you apart!"

Naruto just stood there silently with a deadpan expression.

"Begin!" Wave announced with a shout as the bell rang. However, the battle at hand would be short-lived.

Like a lightning bolt crossing the skies, Naruto blitzed Kalbi in an instant. Without showing any hint of mercy, he delivered a single, devastating jab to the giant's face with enough force to knock him out cold. The whole crowd was left speechless as they watched the large man collapsed onto the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Amazing…he has such power and skill if he could take him down with ease," Run said in amazed.

"T-That's it! The winner is Naruto the Warden!" Wave declared whilst everyone roared for the silver-haired warden's victory.

"It was nothing," Naruto smiled from ear to ear. The triumph of victory was exhilarating. Little did the knight know, that single smile would change everything.

Esdeath's heart pounded rapidly in her chest and her cheeks burned a bright rosy. The Empire's most feared general clutched a hand over her thundering heart and slowly rose from her seat as she quietly observed him.

"I found him," she stated.

Immediately Esdeath made her way down the steps. In that time Naruto relished in his small victory, but he quickly turned to the stairs and saw the fierce general coming down to congratulate him — or so he thought.

"Naruto was it? Meaning maelstrom… a fitting name. Your match was flawless," Esdeath commented, standing a little over three steps away from Naruto.

"T-Thanks for the compliment," Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"And for that… here's your reward," Esdeath said, reaching for something in her abundant cleavage.

This made Naruto do a double-take of the situation, but then he noticed that what she had in hand was a collar that she promptly placed around his neck.

"Eh?!"

"From now on… you belong to me… Naruto," Esdeath hushed I'm a seductive tone of voice.

"HUH!?"

"Come now, there are far too many distractions here," Esdeath remarked as she began to drag Naruto out of the arena.

"You're coming back to the palace with me."

"W-wait! Wait a second! This wasn't–

"I can't wait any longer," Esdeath put it bluntly before she delivered a swift chop onto Naruto's neck surprising the young knight and catching him off guard.

_"What? My…. body,"_ Naruto thought before falling unconscious in Esdeath arms.

"Don't worry my dear… we'll talk in my room…"

**Imperial Palace – Jaegers HQ: Living Room**

As soon Naruto came too, he noticed that he was tied up in a chair and still had the collar around his neck like he was some sort of dog. The knight was in a large room and he could guess from the fancy furniture that it was located somewhere in the inner walls of the Capital's Imperial castle. Right now Esdeath was presenting him to the rest of the Jaegers.

"And so, this young man will be our new backup member. His name is Naruto," Esdeath said.

"Um, you just brought a random civilian in here. Just like that? Isn't that, like a possible risk?" Bols asked, rubbing the back of his head in confusion.

Naruto rolled his eyes, still not liking the collar.

"He'll have everything he could ever want here. He'll never want to leave," Esdeath spoke sweetly only to then gently caress Naruto's cheek.

Naruto blushed a little as he felt the warmth of her hand.

_"I beg to differ,"_ Naruto thought, keeping his cool.

"And he's not only our backup member… Naruto is going to be my lover," Esdeath stated shocking the young knight.

Naruto's eyes widened, he couldn't believe what he just heard. Did the Ice Queen call him her lover? One of the Empire's most powerful Generals calling him a lover!? It was a shocking thing and reminded him of a certain Golden Ruler.

"He's perfect… everything I could want in a man," Esdeath confessed.

"If he's supposed to be your love then why does he have a collar around his neck?" Wave pointed out the contradiction.

"Because I like him," Esdeath replied nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.

"I didn't want him to run away. So, I slapped it on him without really thinking," She added.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched a little after hearing that.

"Uh, if you want a real lover and not a pet then you might want to take that off," Run voiced his thoughts and chuckled nervously.

_"Finally… someone with a brain,"_ Naruto thought.

The Ice Queen placed a hand on her chin as if in deep contemplation. "I guess you're right."

She began to remove the collar and chains very gently off of Naruto.

"Forgive me, dear. I wasn't thinking straight," Esdeath apologized.

_"Hmm, why is she so gentle to me? From what the rumors told me, she is the feared general that gives no mercy to anyone and bathes in blood. This just doesn't add up. Could she really be… no, I need to be sure first,"_ Naruto thought as the Ice Queen finished untiring him.

"While we're on the subject of love. Have any of you been in a relationship or married before?" Esdeath asked, turning to the Jaegers.

At her words, only one hand rose in the air and everyone was shocked by this because of who it was.

"BOLS?!"

Esdeath couldn't help but smile in amusement.

"Is this true Bols?" She asked.

"Yes. I've been married to my lovely wife for six years! She's such a wonderful person, I don't deserve her love!" Bols spoke in an embarrassed and emotional tone.

Back with the Knight, Naruto felt a tug on his leg which caused him to look down. There he saw some sort of white dog, standing on two paws. It was looking at the Knight with its blacked-out eyes.

The Dragon Knight could guess from this dog's strange look that it was some sort of Teigu. He had read about something like this beast in a book. It was named the Hekatonkheires.

Suddenly the dog Teigu jumped onto the silver-haired knight's knees and began to crawl up. Naruto blinked a few times and guessed that the dog wanted him to pet him which he did.

"Aaaah!" Naruto heard a happy cry which caused him to look up to another member of the Jaegers, Seryu.

"Coro likes you, it must have felt that you have great justice in you!" The soldier said with a cute smile.

"Ah! Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Seryu Ubiquitous — an officer of justice that destroys evildoers!" Seryu introduced herself, saluting like a soldier.

Naruto could see a demonic essence inside of Seryu that awaited to be unleashed, but amidst that maelstrom, there was a misguided girl. The Dragon Knight would have to investigate that later. For the time being, he had Coco come off of his lap as he got up and meet the other members of the group.

"I guess I shall introduce myself next. Dr. Stylish is the name. My mission…. make things more stylish than ever," The Doctor posed like a madman.

"What's this guy problem?" he couldn't help but ask.

"I'm still confused as well," Wave agreed.

"Ah! Let me introduce myself. I'm Wave, nice to meet you, Naruto," Wave said as he extended his hand which Naruto accepted. There was something familiar about this one.

"I'm Run. Nice to make your acquaintance," the blonde of the group greeted with a bow. Lastly, there was Bolts and Kurome, the latter of the two had many similarities to Akame.

Stuck with the Jaegers, and with a self-appointed lover to deal with. At this point, the future seemed uncertain.

**Capital – Jaegers HQ: Esdeath's Room**

The sound of the shower running could be heard as Esdeath enjoyed a hot shower. Naruto sat on the bed, taking in deep breaths to calm himself and wonder why the Ice Queen wanted him to share a room with her.

He never thought that the Ice Queen would act as a schoolgirl with a crush around him. He was not much of a believer in love at first sight.

Alas, his train of thought was interrupted when the doors to the bathroom opened. Naruto turned around quickly and his eyes widened when he saw Esdeath come into the room wearing just a white buttoned-up shirt, one that barely reached down below her hips. It had several buttons of the shirt undone, greatly exposing her cleavage.

"Sorry for the wait," Esdeath sensually whispered.

"I-It's no problem," Naruto muttered before turning his head to control his wild feelings.

"Would you like a drink?" she proposed.

"No thanks," Naruto waved off nervously.

"Fufufu… you are so cute," Esdeath mused only to then sit next to the knight on edge of the bed.

"How about we let our hearts tell us what to do…" she suggested.

"Sure… I have a few things to say," Naruto remarked in hopes of getting Esdeath's attention before they would go too far.

"First of all… do you really like me?" he asked.

Instead of an answer with words, Esdeath lunged forward and captured the knight's lips in a passionate kiss. When the kiss broke, the silver-haired knight found himself on his back on the bed with the Ice Queen straddling his hips.

"If I didn't love you… I wouldn't have done that," Esdeath gently stroked Naruto's cheek, but they seemed to be in a daze.

In his mind, Naruto didn't see Esdeath on top of him, but instead someone else. He saw a fat and bulky devil of a man smiling eerily. Naruto's eyes closed with tears coming down as a sign of fear alongside his hands shaking. Esdeath noticed this and stopped herself as she saw her love was in pain. She placed her hands on the silver-haired knight's cheeks and started to calm him down.

"Shhh, it's okay. Are you alright? Did I hurt you in some way? If so… I'm sorry," Esdeath whispered to her love.

Naruto's eyes snapped open and away from the nightmare. He shot upwards and held onto the blue-haired woman before him. His arms wrapped around her and his head rested on her chest as tears came down his cheeks. Esdeath hugged Naruto back and gently pushed him away slowly to clean up his tears with her fingers.

"What's wrong?" Esdeath asked concerned.

"It's nothing," Naruto lied, not looking at her ice blue eyes but did as he was pulled to look.

"Tell me… please," she pressed him further.

He sighed. "I was a slave once… I was sold by my family due to not having the talent my siblings had. I endured a lot… but something happened when I was 14. My owner at the time came into my cell and… he sexually attacked me." Naruto stopped as the tears became harder and to hold back.

"But it didn't work… I killed him with a brick to the head and escaped to get my freedom. I later meet some interesting people and they gave me what I had lost and I'm grateful for that. It wasn't your fault, Esdeath. The moment just triggered a bad memory… that's all," Naruto concluded.

"I'm sorry… but I promise that you, my love, no one will ever hurt you like that again. I'll make sure of that."

Naruto was in shock over how kind Esdeath was to him. Underneath that cold exterior was warm and love.

"How about we get some sleep? We have a long day ahead," Esdeath offered, allowing some space between her and her lover.

"Sure, but first allow me to take a shower first," Naruto said, getting up and walking towards the shower.

Esdeath in the meantime decided to relax and lay down on her bed. She peacefully waited for Naruto to join her.

**The Next Day**

The sunlight shined through the bedroom windows and hit Naruto's face causing him to wake up. He found himself between Esdeath's breasts. He smiled when seeing her peaceful face.

The Dragon Knight wrote a quick note saying that he left to cook something up for breakfast and that he will meet her there. He placed the note on the table before looking at Esdeath one last time. His genuine smile never went away as he kissed on her forehead before leaving.

However the moment he stepped outside, he bumped into someone.

"Oof!"

Luckily, Naruto managed not to fall as he was taller than the person he bumped into, that being Seryu herself.

"Sorry, Naruto… I wasn't watching where I was going," she apologized.

"That's alright," Naruto waved off as he helped the soldier girl back up on her feet with his hand. He noticed that Seryu seemed different this morning, almost like she didn't get enough sleep.

"Seryu, are you okay?" Naruto inquired curiously.

"Huh? S-sure! I-I'm okay! An ally of justice is always okay!" she proclaimed.

"Do you have something in your mind?"

Seryu quickly shook her head. "No! No! No! It's nothing like-

The Dragon Knight could tell that she was lying and needed help.

"An ally of justice doesn't lie. If you want, I could hear you out. I'm good at keeping secrets," Naruto offered which caused the soldier girl stop speaking for a second to consider his offer.

"Can we talk somewhere else?" Seryu asked.

Naruto nodded his head and the two promptly walked off towards a safe place, that being an outside balcony. After checking and making sure nobody could see or hear them, they closed the door and started to talk.

The Dragon Knight learned about Seryu, everything from her early life to how she lost her father and about how she wanted to get justice for her captain who died at the hands of Night Raid. Naruto later learned that during a raid, Seryu allowed a criminal to live and be with his family. She kept asking if she was a bad person for doing this.

The Silver Knight soon brought the soldier girl into a hug in hopes of calming her down.

"Seryu, I don't think you're a bad person, just misguided one. You say that your father was killed and you want justice by killing anyone that is evil, right? That's not justice, that's vengeance, those are two different things. Justice is where law and order come first. Vengeance is what you want and it's something that could lead you down a bad end if you allow it to consume you," Naruto stated.

"Thank you, Naruto," Seryu replied happily with tears coming streaming down her eyes.

Unbeknownst to Naruto — this small act of kindness would pay off in the long run.

**Forest – Near Night Raid**

A few days passed before the Dragon Knight finally managed to slip away unnoticed. He was escaped using the nearby forest when Wave, who was keeping an eye on him, lowered his guard. The route he took would take him back to Night Raid's headquarters in a couple of hours time if he kept his current pace.

All the Intel he gathered during this little solo adventure could prove to be invaluable in the long run. He also had a feeling that his girlfriends would like a good answer as to why he was gone for so long, but that would have to wait.

The moment Naruto entered Night Raid's territory the all too recognizable scent of fresh blood hit his nose. He instinctively sniffed the air — trying to identify who or what it belonged to.

Night Raid's headquarters was now being swarmed by an army of hundreds of oddly dressed individuals. The young knight couldn't help but worry for his friends' safety which is why he dropped any pretense of subtlety and dashed into battle at lightning-fast speeds. He knew his friends could handle themselves, but he cared too much to think twice.

**Feel Invincible by Skillet **

In the time Naruto was out, his Servants told everyone to leave the knight by his lonesome as he was dealing with the pain and slowly healing. Of course, some wanted to find him but their respect for the knight stopped them.

But now Night Raid had to reunite to face the threat Doctor Stylish represented. However before Night Raid could make their stand, all of them were hit by a strong poison that stopped any muscle moment causing a good number of them to collapse onto the ground. Leone was doing alright thanks to her Teigu, but she was fighting through the poison. Tatsumi was hanging on thanks to Incursio armor. The Heroic Spirits meanwhile were not affected by the poison at all due to their nature as Divine Mysteries.

Alas, blue lightning came onto the battlefield dancing around the arena as the Dragon Knight appeared before everyone. The lightning stopped disintegrating foes once the knight drew out one of his swords, Balmung, and got ready for the fight.

"Sorry I'm late," Naruto spoke up as he gripped his sword with both of his hands and waited for the enemies to make the first move.

"That's fine Naruto-kun, but next time tell everyone where you are. We all worry about you…even Mine was worried," Medusa remarked with a smirk getting the snipper to blush.

"No, I wasn't!" Mine shouted the best she could through the poison.

"I'm touched that you care about me, Mine," Naruto teased

"Hey! Don't let me out of the fun, Naruto-kun," Leone added as she got up on one knee.

"Sure, Leone-chan… but for now please allow my Servants and I to handle the rest. Recover using this," Naruto said as he grabbed an elixir from his coat and threw it over for Tatsumi to catch it.

"What's this?" he asked.

"An antidote for the poison. Take small slips as there's barely enough for everyone," Naruto informed.

"While that is going on…you girls ready for some fun?" Naruto asked with a small smirk underneath his mask.

"Damn straight!" Mordred proclaimed as her helmet formed onto her head and her sword materialized through crimson lightning.

"At once," Scathach calmly spoke whilst summoning her red spears.

"Grr!" Fran nodded her head as she grabbed her mace causing green lightning to spark outwards.

"Yep, Big Brother Naruto!" Jack happily said as she grabbed one of her knives.

Musashi, Kanto, and Tomoe likewise drew out their weapons. Medusa summoned her chains. Medea summoned her staff. Atalanta readied her bow by drawing it back with an arrow.

"Medea and I will stay back and give you support, Naruto."

Naruto merely nodded.

Mordred and the Dragon Knight were the first to make their move by dashing forward with a trail of lightning following closely. Each strike of their blades cut down dozen of enemies into pieces. As the members of Night Raid finished up with the antidote and waited for the effects to kick in, the Dragon Knight had begun to ask himself where the doctor could be at.

"Stylish is probably hiding somewhere high to overlook the battlefield…"

Naruto looked at the mountainous ranges and smirked when he saw the doctor and three people with him.

"I got you now, Doc."

At the same time, Stylish panicked when he saw Naruto among the heroic spirits who continued to decimate his army.

"Looks like I have no choice," the doctor remarked before injecting something into himself.

**This Is Not The End by Spoken**

Atop the cliff, a massive Danger Beast emerged wherein a madman once stood. It walked on its four bulky limbs, one of its arms was covered in golden armor while the left had grey skin. On the head of the Danger Beast was a deformed version of Dr. Stylish with white hair and only half of his body attached to the colossus. Everyone was taken back by this, but the Dragon Knight and his Servants were not as they had seen bigger and stronger foes than this creep.

"What a shithead," Mordred said as the girl's helmet came down and she rested her blade rested on her right shoulder.

"Indeed. Does it give you any ideas on what we could do next?" Naruto asked already having an idea in mind.

"Yes… but you know the price, right?" Medea questioned concerned for her lover.

Naruto lowered his head for a second to think carefully on what would happen afterward. His plan was certain victory, but the cost to his mana would be great. It was a risk… especially since Naruto could just feel that a certain someone was stalking the whole battlefield from afar.

"Mordred, you ready?" he asked.

Mordred smiled from ear to ear. "Hell yeah!" she shouted enthusiastically as said with a smirk as red mana flowed across her blade.

To best this monsters… knight of treachery and Dragon Knight would need to work together.

"My sword let thy be filled," Naruto chanted whilst the jewel of his blade started to glow blue and have the excess energy shoot upwards. Mordred let her sword do the same, but her energy was crimson.

Dr. Stylish swung his massive claw hand at the mana covered pair but missed as the two quickly dodged and started flying towards their target…the head of the beast himself.

"Claret…," Mordred chanted with her sword ready.

"Balmung/Blood Arthur!" Naruto and Mordred shouted the name of their blades simultaneously firing a powerful mana blast towards Stylish. The powerful beam of energy burned into the flesh of Dr. Stylish Danger Beast form, leaving no trace of him behind.

Shortly afterward the pair went back to see Night Raid and the other Servants, but hiding in the trees, a familiar face awaited to come out. Naruto narrowed his eyes after seeing this warrior.

"Wow… you were amazing," Tatsumi, still awestruck, voiced his thoughts.

"My thanks Tatsumi. However, the battle is not over yet, right Takeo?" Naruto called out getting everyone on guard as they saw the Warrior Panther jumping out of the trees and landing before them. The Warrior Panther was the same as the last time he met Night Raid, but his armor had cracks on it and now carried a katana by his side which was odd. He had claws on his hands and feet so why rely on a sword now?

Everyone was on guard and ready to attack as they knew how dangerous Takeo was from Tatsumi's report.

"No need for that. I don't want to bother myself with bugs. No… what I want is to fight the Dragon Knight I heard so much about…" Takeo spoke in a bloodlusted tone.

"Very well, Takeo, we will have our fight… but not here. We need more space."

Takeo smirked and then shrugged his shoulders agreeing with the terms.

"You better come back alive, lover boy," Leone remarked.

Naruto soon approached the blonde lioness, cupped her cheeks as his mask disappears in a blue dust of energy.

"I promise that I will come back from this fight, Leone-chan. I promise you all that I will come back alive."

"You better come back," Leone said with a smirk as her lips touched the knight's lips for a second and pair part ways.

"I will," Naruto concluded before parting ways with Leone and sharing one last look with his Servants.

Once they were gone, an air manta soon flew towards the base with Najenda and two new recruits on it. Little did they know that the next battle was going to be bigger than anything they had ever seen.

**AN: Next time on Dragon Knight, Naruto finally fights against the Warrior Panther, Takeo, a worthy adversary and the man who killed Bulat. The two warriors will fight and test themselves over their limits. See you all next time.**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 Clash of the Beasts**

**Takeo's Main Theme: Getting Away with Murder**

Two lightning-fast silhouettes exited a forest area and rushed towards a large clearing. In this open field, their grand battle would finally take place.

A calm breeze passed as the two stared each other down.

Naruto vs Takeo.

Only one goal reigned supreme in their minds:

To beat the other and show the other who truly was the strongest. This was not a battle between men, but instead something far different.

A clash between beasts.

A clash between titans.

Dragon against Panther.

Knight against Warrior.

Naruto and Takeo had their eyes scanning each other every as they stood on opposite sides of each other just waiting for the other to make the first move.

The Dragon Knight drew out Gram instead of Balmung. He had a calm look on his face, but his eyes displayed a silent fury towards his opponent.

_"I only have a little over 40% of my mana right now… I have to be careful and end this quickly."_

The Warrior Panther tossed his katana aside having it disappear into sparks of mana before he flexed his fingers in order for his claws to come out. He would have to be careful as he hadn't made a full recovery quite yet and his armor was on the verge of breaking apart.

The Knight and Warrior kept waiting for one another to make the first move as both were being careful. Maybe too careful, but they had good reasons why.

Amidst the silence, Takeo sighed. "Let's be honest here, kid… we're kindred spirits, we are the kind of men who fight, drink, and sleep with beautiful women. Hell! We even fight beautiful women! We know what it means to be alive!" he proclaimed proudly.

"I am not like you," Naruto put it bluntly.

"So you say but it seems different from what I gather and—

Takeo began to speak but he was cut off when Naruto made the first move. The Dragon Knight sprinted towards the panther and punched him right in the face with his right fist while the left hand held his blade. Takeo stood his ground, not moving an inch but he still felt a great deal of pain which caused him to glare at the knight with pure hatred in mind.

Takeo let out a panther-like roar whilst a light blue aura burst outwards causing Naruto to back off. However, the animalistic killer was relentless. Takeo dashed towards the knight with his claws out. Sensing the immediate danger, Naruto quickly gripped his sword and swung downwards at the upcoming attacker. The Warrior Panther used his claws to block the sword, their contact causing the winds to blow outwards from the point of impact.

Takeo pushed Naruto off and again started to attack.

The Dragon Knight was still hovering in the air when he saw Takeo jump after him. The Warrior Panther got in close and swung his claws at his target in a downward motion causing the knight to raise his sword to block the attack. The momentum alone launched Naruto back to the ground.

A crater forms on impact as Naruto landed on his feet and immediately darted at Takeo as he descended. Blue lightning from his Mana Burst now enveloped the Dragon Knight increasing his speed. Likewise, Takeo landed on the ground and lunged forward like a panther with his claws out towards the knight.

Takeo the claws on his feet to strike, but Naruto blocked them with Gram and countered by using his boosted speed to slash away at Takeo. His attacks nonetheless missed their mark as the agile panther danced around his moves.

Regardless the knight had a plan. He delivered one last strike hoping Takeo would block it, which he did. This slash, in particular, was covered in lightning which and bounced off and hit the left side of Takeo's face. The Warrior Panther's regeneration tried to fix this but it did not work. Takeo was shocked as he found out that the lightning seemingly canceled out his healing factor by cauterizing the wound.

"It's been a while since I couldn't heal my wounds… this is getting interesting. Don't disappoint me, kid!" Takeo shouted as he rushed forward towards the Dragon Knight.

"En garde," Naruto said as he brought up Gram, blue mana covering the blade.

The mana and energy blasting around the two shook the area with torrential winds and powerful earthquakes. It was truly something out of mythological conflicts.

In the nearby forest around the edges of the battlefield, two different groups felt the battle's effects. On one side were Night Raid and the Heroic Servants. They allowed Naruto to fight by his lonesome but were there if things took a turn for the worse. On the other side, a small group of soldiers and their leader watched the battle from beneath the natural veil of darkness. The Soldiers wore light armor that was black as night, hooded cloaks that covered them, and some of them even wore white skull masks or warpaints giving them a look not too distant from that of a grim reaper.

Their leader was a young man who wore the same cloak as his troopers, but he had a custom silver mask with red eyes. He watched the battle between the Dragon Knight and Warrior Panther with great interest.

The battle had taken its toll on both fighters. Naruto now coughed out blood and Takeo's chest had a large cut with blood dripping down, his armor was cracked even further showing wounded skin, and the claws on his hands were close of breaking apart.

**Naruto's Main Theme: Theme of Infinite**

The Dragon Knight lowered his sword, making it look as if he was now wide open and weakened due to low mana reserves — which was true to a degree — but this was a trap and the panther was running right at it.

Takeo's bloodlust clouded his mind and that would be his undoing. Gram was now covered in blue mana energy and shined brightly as it changed into a double-sword with one end longer than the other. This was Gram's upper-class form that Naruto had mastered.

Naruto swung his enhanced sword upwards as his target approached. The blade immediately destroyed the panther's claws. He grunted in pain and jumped backward with nothing but pure bloodlust in his eyes.

Takeo breathed heavily, he was exhausted, but he still managed to call forth his katana into existence by reaching out and having it materialize within his grasp almost it was a Noble Phantasm.

Once again he howled like a mad beast as the sapphire blue aura he embodied grew tenfold in strength

"Enough of this! I have tasted the finest wine the Empire has to offer… I have crushed the strongest men in the Empire… but none of it… none of it… gets me more excited than using my blade! This is where it ends, Dragon Knight!" Takeo shouted out as he unsheathed his blade and held it high above his head — energy flowing along its length.

In one swift motion, Takeo swung the blade downward; thus unleashing enough pressure to split open the earth and skies. Naruto narrowly managed to sidestep out of the way when the ground split leaving a small abyss in the middle. Likewise, the clouds above were perfectly split down the middle for what seemed like hundreds upon hundreds of kilometers. Even a large mountain in the distant horizon had now become two neighboring mountains.

"This is why we exist, Naruto! To challenge each other in ways only we can! But all good things must come to an end," Takeo spouted in pure excitement. Suddenly Takeo's blade became fully imbued with an intense blue glow and grew twice the size becoming in a way quite similar to an odachi.

"You… you're not human are you?" Naruto questioned in a shocked tone.

"This is where real men belong! In the fight!" Takeo shouted ignoring the question before immediately charging right at Naruto.

The Dragon Knight did his best to keep up, but all he managed to accomplish was stopping a few of Takeo's slashes before being sent flying like a weightless doll only to ultimately crash on the cold hard ground.

Naruto grunted in pain as forced himself back up on his feet. The Dragon Knight had to fight through the pain and stay focused on gathering up the little mana he had left.

"This is the end!" Takeo screamed as he swung down at his kneeling opponent.

Time seemed to stand still as death approached the Dragon Knight.

_"…it's not over yet… brother Karna… give me strength!"_

Flames suddenly began to swirl around Naruto as if he was possessed by the sun itself. The knight's eyes flared up like stars as he turned his gaze toward Takeo just as the Warrior Panther's descended at him.

_"Brahmastra!"_

Without as much as a warning — an excessively powerful beam of flaming energy fired from Naruto's eyes hitting Takeo head-on.

"GAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Takeo screamed in pain. The katana that was his pride and joy melted alongside his armor as he was blasted back. He tried to hold himself in place by planting his feet firmly on the ground, but that only meant he was now wide open for the Dragon Knight's one last attack.

Naruto gripped Gram one last time. The sword broke apart and turned into a series of daggers which the young knight then propelled directly at Takeo impaling his limbs.

Naruto was surrounded in green and blue mana, the last of what he left in the tank infused itself into Gram and expanded outwards.

Only 10% of his mana remained… this would be the end.

"Preparing deployment! Preparing the finishing move. O'Demonic Sword of the Sun, With the blade, give rise to destruction!"

"BASTARD!"

"This is for Bulat, you son of a bitch! Bölverk Gram!" the knight shouted as he slammed his fists into the hilt of Gram and unleash a powerful beam of destruction.

Takeo couldn't do a damn thing as he was eaten by the energy and the large explosion that followed. What was left afterward was a shell of who he was before, but the Dragon Knight made sure he would still be left alive to pay for his crimes.

Victorious… Naruto fell to his knees and brought his hands together in a final prayer for a friend:

"In your hands, O Lord,

we humbly entrust our brother… Bulat

In this life you embraced them with your tender love;

deliver him now from every evil

and bid him eternal rest.

The old order has passed away:

welcome him into paradise,

where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain,

but fullness of peace and joy

with your Son and the Holy Spirit

forever and ever…

Amen"

Naruto closed his eyes as he collapsed forward onto the scorched ground, finally unconscious due to a lack of mana.

Mere moments afterward enough the mysterious troopers that were hiding in the shadows came out of the woods and surrounded both Naruto and Takeo.

"Take the victor…leave the kitten to Night Raid," the reaper with the silver mask ordered whilst his men grabbed the knight.

"Yes, my lord," The troopers responded as they carried out the unconscious Naruto.

Takeo looked at the Silver Reaper while still down on the ground. He still had a shred of consciousness left.

"You're letting him live? That wasn't a part of the plan, Nox…" Takeo muttered using the light will power he had left to just talk.

Nox…

That name rang into the Silver Reaper's ears.

"Wayward though you may be, Takeo, that was still a victory for you — little kitten. Thus I'll forgive you for using my name this one time," the dark, husky voice of that killer echoed out of his mask.

"Fuck you! You won't win without me!" Takeo shot back.

"You? Please… you're a worthless child playing with the tools I have given to you by me. Know that all you have ever achieved for yourself is being my puppet to the end…"

Nox looked back to see Night Raid and a handful of heroic spirits coming towards them. A good number of them were present, but it was too late to stop them.

"Too slow, children … but I'm sure we'll see each other again. After all, we're in the endgame now," The reaper remarked as he walked back into the shadows alongside his troopers and seemingly disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Nox — the mysterious figure behind Takeo's existence and the mastermind behind the plan to capture Naruto Sieghart. What is his greater purpose? How dangerous is he? These and many other questions came to the members of Night Raid and the servants themselves as they approached the scene only to meet a bloody and beaten Takeo. Naruto, of course, was long gone.

But yet… there was someone beside Takeo still there. A young visitor from a land far, far away watched the events unfolding while safely floating above the clouds. This visitor was a youthful girl with jet black hair tied in a ponytail and one large magenta red bang draping over the left side of her face. Moreover, she wore a red dress with a dangerously short-cut skirt that revealed much of her voluptuous legs. She also wore a large black cloak over her shoulders. More notably however she had vampire-like fangs and pointy ears.

"Hmmm, it seems Nox-sama finally managed to capture Naruto Onii-chan… kakaka! what a treat!" the girl giggled softly to herself. She proceeded to gaze down upon the members of Night Raid and the legendary heroes below… from this high up they were almost like ants to her.

"Consider yourselves lucky, the beautiful Mito Uzumaki will be keeping a very close eye on you lot so you don't bother Nox-sama! Kaka!" she laughed out loud.

The truth behind the Uzumaki and Namikaze families begins to unravel.

**AN: Season 1 of Dragon Knight is entering its endgame. More to come soon!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Hello everyone, welcome back! The time has come for the first installment in a three-parter season finale. The Dragon Knight story has come a long way, but it's alas time for the secrets and trickery behind the Uzumaki and Namikaze families to be brought to the spotlight.**

**After being pushed to his limits in his battle against Takeo, Naruto has been captured by a mysterious enemy named Nox and his soldiers. Not only that, the devilishly trickster Mito Uzumaki is seemingly working for Nox and is now spying on Night Raid.**

**Who is Nox? What is Mito's role in all of this? What dark fate awaits the Dragon Knight? Begin to unravel the truth now.**

**Original "Dragon Knight" Story by: AZ23AJ**

**Written by: Mercer_am (Wattpad) / Merceram ( )**

**Chapter 10: Rising Dragon Saga (Part 1: Into the Abyss)**

The foul stench of death welcomed Naruto Sieghart as he struggled to open his eyes. Though his vision was blurry, he could see what appeared to be a dimly lit, small room closed off by metal bars. It took him a moment before he realized that he was indeed inside a jail cell.

"Ugh… my head," he mumbled under his breath. Naruto shook his head a little, the headache he felt right now was almost unbearable, but even so, he managed to get off of the ground and stand up slowly.

Sieghart was then hit by the pain left behind by his battle wounds. A large cut ran down across his abdomen, a blackened burn mark hurt his back when he moved, and to make matters worse he was shirtless. The dense, cold atmosphere of that cell amplified the pain he felt a thousandfold. It was enough to make even someone as fearsome as Naruto tremble.

Slowly but surely, the Dragon Knight made his way to the metal bars separating him from the rest of the prison. He reached for the cell's door in hopes of attaining an understanding over how much force would be required to break free, but a surprise event caught him off guard.

"What the hell?!" he remarked in absolute disbelief as he came upon the realization that the cell was unlocked, "What kind of prison lets its prisoners just walk out?"

Apprehensive over the situation, Sieghart took slow steps. The area outside of his jail was lifeless, full of bones and limbs scattered across the crimson flooring. A staircase could be seen to the far left, it ascended like a spiral towards a new floor. Along the walls, Sieghart could see what appeared to be human skulls carved into stone.

"Damn… I thought I had seen everything by now, but this place right here… just damn, " he said to himself. Truth be told he could hardly fathom the thought of being suddenly attacked right now. With no mana, no weapons, and no allies to back him up, he was no more than a mortal man fighting against an impossible situation.

"Takeo… he really did a number on me, " he thought as he ascended up the stone stairs. In the back of his mind, Naruto felt as if they could crumble beneath his feet at any given moment, but nonetheless, he continued to march onward using whatever semblance of hope he had left in him.

Alas, he reached the next floor. What awaited him there was a large series of torch-lit hallways that spread in eight different directions.

"Great… a labyrinth, " he sighed. Little did he know that this was merely the beginning of his struggles.

Just as he had finally relaxed, Naruto felt the ground quake beneath his feet. His eyes widened as he looked to his right only to see a seemingly endless legion of strange, ghoulish, humanoids darting towards his location at breakneck speeds.

"Goddammit!" Naruto shouted as he dashed forward like a man running for his life. He had no time to make an informed decision, so he just ran forward and into the narrow hallway directly ahead of himself.

"Today couldn't possibly get any worse!" he complained out loud. The thunderous sound of a hundred ghouls chasing him down the hallway kept him moving.

"Duck, shrimp!" a commanding voice reached Naruto's ears. In that same instant, he instinctively dropped to his knees as a kunai flew right past his face, mere inches away. It hit one of the ghouls in the center of their chest only to explode into a ball of bright flames that consumed the crowd of ghouls and caused them to be reduced to no more than ashes.

A short young man with spiky blond hair then appeared in front of Naruto. Like Najenda, he wore an eye patch over one eye, but his exposed eye had a golden iris. He wore an outfit resembling that of a military uniform consisting of a long black trench coat with golden epaulets and a suit underneath. That said, his clothes looked fairly worn out and dusted.

"Running around like that is gonna do nothing but get you killed," the male chastised Naruto before offering him a helping hand, "Come on, get up."

Naruto could tell that despite his short stature this man was definitely strong.

"Those monsters were easily on par with a trained soldier yet you took them all out in one move… just who are you?" Sieghart inquired as he accepted the stranger's helping hand. In one pull, the mysterious fighter had brought Naruto back on his feet.

"I'm not sure myself honestly… but call me Najasho, that's the one name in my head anyway, " the golden-eyed man explained.

"Well… thanks for the assist. Where are we anyway?"

"You don't know? This place is called 'The Mausoleum' for its infamy as a location where the Empire's most dangerous criminals are left to rot and die of either starvation or by the hand of other prisoners who have turned to cannibalism in order to stay alive. But of course… this place is also full of people unjustly sentenced to a life of suffering," Najasho spoke in a heavy tone. It was clear that he had been stuck in this place for a long time.

"Is there a way out of here?" Naruto questioned curiously.

"There is one. We need to cross this labyrinth and find the staircase which will lead us to the next floor. As far as I know, there are around a total of ten levels. The furthest anyone has ever gotten is the ninth."

"Then I guess I'll be the first to break out of here, " Naruto spoke confidently whilst smiling.

"You really are a cocky shrimp, " the one-eyed assassin remarked snarkily before reaching under his trench coat and tossing over a small sword to Naruto who promptly caught it midair.

"You'll need it if you want to get out of here, " he concluded.

"Not just me, I'm getting you out of here too. I could use another powerful friend!" Naruto went on to proclaim those words in a tone full of his usual youthful excitement.

"Alright… try to keep up then, shrimp!" Najasho put it bluntly before darting down the hallway at lightning speed.

"Hey wait up!" Naruto shouted as he chased after the mysterious assassin.

To escape this hell – the two would do whatever it takes.

* * *

Naruto's allies gathered around the meeting room. As usual, Najenda comfortably sat upon her all too modest throne while her subordinates went on to form an incomplete circle around the room. Akame, Leone, Tatsumi, Chelsea, Susanoo, Sheele, Spear, Leyasu, Sayo, Mine, Lubbock, Air, Fal, and Luna. All members in Night Raid's current formation with the notable exception of Naruto's servants now surrounded a lonesome, kneeling figure chained up in front of Najenda.

"Where did they take Naruto?! Answer or you will be killed right here and now!" the Boss demanded information without an iota of mercy present in her voice.

"It's too late for your little band of misfits, bitch!" Takeo spits out his hateful words, "Nox took that fool to the Mausoleum! He's more than likely dead by now! And once I regain my strength you lot won't be far behind! These chains can't hold me forever!"

"Cut the crap! You're gonna tell us where that Mausoleum is or I'm gonna personally squash your fucking balls!" Najenda put it extremely bluntly whilst closing her metal hand into a fist.

"Tch… go north if you want to find it, but be warned Night Raid… the entrance to the Mausoleum is a one-way ticket to certain death. An impenetrable fortress surrounds the prison, and you would need an entire army to get through those defenses. Nox made sure no one could ever get in or out without his consent."

"It doesn't matter, we'll save him anyway, " Najenda spoke confidently as she calmly stood up.

"Alright, everyone… send word to Naruto's servants and ready the air mantas. We'll be splitting into small groups to cover more ground till we find the fortress, " she explained.

"What about Takeo?" Chelsea asked. It was a fair question, after all, the Panther was extremely dangerous and could not be left unsupervised for even a single moment.

"Oh it's simple, " Najenda smirked slyly.

"Oh, you bitch! You fucking bitc—

Takeo could not finish his sentence. Shortly before he could do so, Najenda delivered a swift strike to his face using the full might of her metal fist. A violent splash of blood hit the ground as the sound of Takeo's nose breaking apart mixed in with the echo propagated when a metal object collides with something.

In the end, the brash young panther became an unconscious kitten.

A range of surprised and even horrified expressions could be seen across the faces of those present, but Najenda kept things down to business.

"Now then… he won't wake up for a while. Call up Naruto's servants and let's move out!"

"Yes, Boss! everyone said in unison.

In spite of their loss, spirits were high among the assassins. Naruto's light and unyielding spirit had made them far stronger than they were not too long ago. However, that growth might not be enough to keep them safe from the oncoming storm.

Gracefully floating above the clouds without a care in the world, Mito Uzumaki crossed her voluptuous legs as if she was a queen sitting upon an imaginary throne. With a sly smirk, the strange girl watched the killers depart in a desperate search operation. In Mito's devious mind, she could already envision their deaths playing out.

_" Oh my dear Naruto Onii-chan~ your friends are going to walk right into Nox-sama's death trap… it's gonna be sad but I'll have fun seeing your reactions when they end up dead because they try to save you! Kakaka!"_ she laughed in her mind.

* * *

Naruto and Najasho traversed the hallways of the labyrinth as fast as they could without drawing much attention. Above all else, one thing was clear in both of their minds: They needed each other if they hoped to escape.

" Enemies up ahead!" Najasho pointed out as the pair approached yet another horde of rotting, ghoulish prisoners. These strange monsters roared like animals as they charged towards the duo.

"I got this!" the Dragon Knight enthusiastically let his voice resonate through the halls only to then blast forward at high speeds. He quickly made sure to bring his short sword in a horizontal motion going from right to left. Almost in that same breath, his rusty blade cut open the guts of three prisoners with ease.

Najasho followed behind him but kept a cold silence ever-present. In one swift dash, the killer became a blur in the eyes of his foe as he moved past Naruto's targets and struck the last subhuman creature with his sword. Without mercy, he put his full might into penetrating the center of the ghoul's chest. The impact was so great that his blade could be seen going out of the target's back.

"Gah….Ah!" the remnants of the creature's humanity came back to him in his last breath of life.

"You're already dead… Find peace in the underworld, " his killer spoke into his ear before he violently twisted and pulled out the blade he had used.

Naruto watched his new ally act with a careful gaze. He knew Najasho was skilled, easily on par with Akame in terms of raw talent and intellect, but he could tell that he carried a lot of explosive emotion in the way he fought.

"It's up ahead, " Najasho suddenly spoke. He pointed towards the end of the hallway where a large arcing gateway made of bronze metal could be seen. Beyond it, a set of ascending stairs awaited the pair of deadly warriors.

"How did you know the correct path?" Naruto questioned whilst catching his breath.

Najasho sighed in embarrassment. "It's obvious, shrimp. The wind currents have to flow from the direction of the opening… but I'm not surprised at your lack of skill, " he muttered, clearly annoyed by the carefree attitude of his partner.

"Geez… I might not be much help now, but when I'm at full power there's not much that can stop me!" Naruto expressed his enthusiasm by punching his right fist against his open palm.

The two then shared a fair bit of awkward silence as they moved ahead entering the gateway.

"Hold on…" Najasho stopped dead on his tracks.

"What's up du—

Sieghart wouldn't get the chance to process what would happen next nor could he have predicted it.

Suddenly a young, voluptuous woman with alluring silver, neck-length hair and tantalizing golden eyes jumped down the center of the spiraling stairs before gracefully landing on one knee. From up close, Naruto could see that she wore a dark headband that allowed her bangs to hang beneath it. Nevertheless, the most worrisome part about her was the rusty, dual daggers she carried.

"Wait!" Naruto pleaded.

She did not heed his words. Instead, the nimble femme fatale thrust her blade like a missile toward the knight's exposed abdomen. However, Najasho was quick to slap away her weapon with a quick movement of his sword.

"Hya!"

"Not so fast!"

The female attacked using her remaining dagger, this time aiming it at the man who stopped her from killing her original target. Nonetheless, Najasho showed himself to be the best fighter out of the two as he proceeded to deliver a precise downward slash by bringing his blade up only to violently cast it down upon the woman's rusty dagger. Without delay, the object shattered like glass. Likewise, the female retreated as she felt a small cut on her hand.

"You missed… on purpose?" she pondered.

"Consider that a warning, Mashiro. Next time I'll go for your entire arm," Najasho spoke crudely.

"Wait you know her?" Naruto immediately jumped into the discussion.

"You could say that, I suppose. We were thrown in this hellhole together, " he clarified, "For the first few months we worked together… but she did not hesitate to abandon me when we failed to clear the ninth floor."

"That's not fair, Najasho! I had to look for a way to kill that monster… you however just kept trying to fight it again and again, " Mashiro tried to argue.

"Traitor…" Najasho coldly retorted back.

"Listen!" Naruto stepped in between the two, "We really don't have time for this! Now that I'm here we'll beat whatever is on the ninth floor, so let's work together."

Mashiro raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure? You could barely keep up with me, " she put it bluntly.

"Up till now… I've let Najasho take the lead because I was absorbing the little mana left in the environment in addition to recharging my own. I should be able to use this now..." Naruto spoke before snapping his fingers. Suddenly a bright white radiance began to emanate around him, it was akin to a flaming aura.

"Goddess Bliss, " he uttered as the various battle wounds covering his body started to close one after the other.

"You…" Najasho felt petrified in the presence of such a strange occurrence.

"What are you?" Mashiro could not help but wonder.

Alas, Naruto smirked confidently as a black armor materialized onto his body amidst a burst of translucent flames. Not only that, a robotic mask with bright cerulean blue eyes enveloped his entire face as he used his left hand to reach out as if trying to grasp something.

"Come forth! Balmung!" he proudly shouted. And thus the fabled dark silver blade materialized onto his hand. It was a two-handed, golden greatsword with a blue jewel embedded in the hilt that boasted a magnificence and enormity that made it seem as if it was created by inhuman hands. Armed with this great weapon of legend, Naruto Sieghart was now effectively back to the peak of his strength.

"You… you're not human are you?" Najasho inquired.

"Just sit back and watch, chief, " the Dragon Knight spoke whilst smiling beneath his mask. He then aimed his new blade up at the next floor.

"—O sword, Let thee be filled!" Sieghart proclaimed as an orange radiance had begun to fill his blade.

"Clear a path for us ― Balmung!

The twilight aura of its might swelled around the sword only to be released as a flash of light, a surging wave with the simple purpose of destruction. Compared to the straight line released by Mordred's Clarent Blood Arthur, Balmung let its powerful beam form a semicircle that centered around the user.

That pure wave of destruction drilled through the upper levels of the Mausoleum; thus carving a path with its almighty silver light.

"Impossible…" Najasho trembled.

"Woah!" Mashiro spoke in awe. The light of twilight produced by Balmung had pierced a giant hole that seemingly led all the way to the ninth floor.

"That's our way out, " Naruto remarked while the mechanical mask that covered his face vanished into sparks of blue energy.

"Just… who are you?" the golden-eyed femme fatale inquired in disbelief.

"Sieghart, Naruto Sieghart, " he spoke in a calm tone only to immediately afterward leap to the next floor and then again to the one after that.

Najasho and Mashiro exchanged confused stares before following after the Dragon Knight. Regardless of what awaited them — they were glad to have met this powerful ally.

* * *

"Fire everything we got!" a bald man dressed in a military getup shouted as loud as he possibly could. The thunderous, bellowing noise of cannon fire echoed across the land as an endless barrage of death cascaded upon a lonesome target.

"Give it your all, mongrels. Fools you may be… but isn't the foolishness of the few a more precious commodity than the wisdom of the masses?"

Resolute in her superiority, the King of Heroes stood proudly with her arms elegantly crossed over her voluptuous chest.

With a mere thought, she summoned a hail of weapons from the Gate of Babylon to befall upon her targets which would then tear them apart like simple beasts. As for the cannonballs shot at her, they did their best to lightly bother the king, but they were clearly nowhere near enough to make her flinch. In fact, they basically disinterested into subatomic particles upon touching her perfect body.

Above in the brick and steel walls of the fortress, soldiers scrambled to load their cannons and madly shoot their weapons at Gilgamesh. That said, meaningless, man-made and mass-produced weapons like those could not hope to harm the body of a being full of mystery such as the King of Heroes — or any other servant for that matter.

"Like a moth is drawn to a flame — fools seek certain death."

A mere snap of Gilgamesh's fingers was all it took to call forth a legendary weapon. Ig-Alima – a massive grey blade, commonly known as the Mountain-Felling Sword. It was an incredibly powerful Divine Construct that could easily tear apart entire forests simply from the force of being swung. However, due to its immensely large size, Gilgamesh could not truly wield it. Instead, it can solely be used as a devastating projectile from the Gate of Babylon.

"RUN!" one of the soldiers screamed.

Ig-Alima was propelled forward so fast it created an enormous sonic boom behind its length. The large walls of the fortress were pierced in an instant, and alas they came crumbling down like glass alongside a batch of dead soldiers.

"A mongrel though the one named Nox may be, he is still a figure of some slight renown… thus I shall offer his men swift deliverance, " the king mused to herself.

She was far more powerful than any who dared challenge her almighty rule. A walking arsenal by herself, she ruled the battlefield with unmatched brilliance and elegance. However, she was not alone. Soon enough a large formation of Air Mantas could be seen out on the horizon closing in on the fortress.

"You mongrels now face the wrath of Night Raid."

* * *

Naruto, Najasho, and Mashiro. This unlikely trio had, at last, arrived on the ninth floor of the Mausoleum. What awaited the group was a large, circular arena with crimson brick walls and stone flooring. At the heart of the structure, a lonesome black-haired man awaited. His arms were kept immobile by a white straitjacket. However what was truly frightening about him were the soulless, entirely whitened out eyeballs he had.

"There he is… that demon," Najasho locked his gaze upon the strange male.

Naruto could tell that his comrades were on edge, but for now, he elected to stay silent.

"This time… you won't defeat us!" Mashiro shouted.

Alas, Najasho and Mashiro darted forward like missiles moving at hypersonic speeds. The two gracefully cascaded their iron blades upon that one, seemingly unarmed, man.

"Stop…" the restrained male muttered as a black flaming aura suddenly spiraled out of his body.

"Guh!" the two attackers were frozen mid-motion, their blades suspended by a flowing, dark miasma.

"Get away!" the dark figure exclaimed whilst the black flames around him oozed outward and began pouring all over Najasho and Mashiro.

"Not so fast!" Naruto spoke as his mechanical mask closed over his face once more. The powerful Dragon Knight immediately rushed over, worried for his newest comrades.

"Balmung!" he uttered before his blade glimmered with a powerful light and was swiftly brought down upon the darkness-infused warrior.

"Umbral… Threshold!" the mysterious figure spoke in a forced, pained tone.

The dark flames that engulfed Najasho and Mashiro became ever more dangerous as they abandoned their original targets and jumped at Sieghart; thus blocking the path of his attack. Balmung's light was completely eaten by a wall of solidified darkness. However, Naruto thankfully did manage to accomplish the original goal of freeing his two comrades as both Najasho and Mashiro had fallen over on the ground, both unconscious.

Naruto continuously struck the dark wall in front of him to no avail. In fact, no matter how many times he would attack with all his might, the wall would only seem to grow larger.

"Umbral Prison, " the floor boss muttered in a distorted tone whilst his dark wall burst outward and embraced Naruto's body.

In a moment's notice, the shadows had begun to adhere to the shape of his body turning the Dragon Knight into a silhouette for onlookers to behold. The shadows soon began to grow tighter. It was as if Naruto had been caught in a bear's hug, only difference being that every inch of his body was being squashed. His armor had begun to crack, and soon the same fate would befall his bones.

"Grr… not like this! I refuse to die here!" he boldly shouted as a powerful flow of emerald green electricity erupted from his body.

"Blasted Tree!" his powerful shout echoed across the darkness as that electrical aura around him formed an extremely large shape akin to a tree. The shadows that once relentlessly bounded Naruto dispersed immediately only to return to their user.

"You're done!" Sieghart voiced his courage one last time. Without a second thought, he proceeded to mercilessly drive this empowered version of Balmung through his foe's chest.

What followed was an enormous explosion of both emerald electricity and white light. The blast was concentrated around Naruto and his mysterious opponent like a swirling beam of energy. It truly seemed as if this was the deciding moment of this conflict.

"Thank… you, " a husky, tired voice echoed into Naruto's ears. Naruto flinched upon realizing that voice came from none other than his opponent.

"Who… are you?" the Dragon Knight inquired.

The eyes once engulfed in unending darkness now morphed into the eyes of a young man. Red irises, dark pupils, fair white skin and fairly long, messy, silver hair with bangs draping across his forehead. All combined to form the visage of a handsome, youthful man. Moreover, the straitjacket that kept him bounded turned into particles of black energy.

"I am…" he tried to speak but his voice failed to come out. Once more the flowing darkness around him pushed outward sending Naruto back first against a far-away wall alongside his sword. Nevertheless, it was quite obvious something had changed.

The strange man once overtaken by shadows now commanded them almost effortlessly. Free from his chains, the young warrior healed his wounds and used his living shadow to form a new attire. He now wore a black tricorn, a gray duster coat, a pair of brown leather boots, a pair of black gauntlets with golden ornaments and a dark reddish bandana to cover most of his face. It looked like the attire of a fancy thief or a hunter.

"I'm sorry it ended like this… but your light woke me up from the slumber Nox put me in, " the masked warrior calmly spoke as he slowly walked towards Naruto who was still struggling to get off of the ground now that he literally had his back against the wall.

"Nox? Who…" Naruto struggled to speak. Blood left his lips, his armor was gone again, and both of his allies were still unconscious — not to mention his foe looked untouched. For the very first time in what felt like an eternity, he had truly lost to someone outside of his family.

"It's a long story… but I shall at least give you my name as a means of thanking you. Ichiro, Ichiro Hajime," the Red-Eyed Hunter introduced himself with a respectful bow.

"Hajime…" Naruto's eyes widened. That family name… he had heard it before.

"We can talk more once you have recovered. For now, rest easy… I promise to take you three out of here," Ichiro spoke reassuringly. However, unbeknownst to the young man his battle was not quite over yet.

"Away from him, mongrel!" a harsh voice reached Ichiro shortly before a golden blade pierced his spine killing him — or at least that's what would have happened if the projectile had not simply phased through his shadow-like body and hit the wall in front of him.

"Oh? Perhaps there is some worth to this one," Gilgamesh put it bluntly as she entered the room alongside the members of Night Raid and her fellow-servants. Likewise, Ichiro turned to face them, but he kept a calm and collected demeanor.

"Face me in battle, fool! To vanquish a threat my beloved Naruto could not match… Yes, it will be an achievement worthy of my full attention!" the King of Heroes proudly proclaimed as she took a step forward.

"I'm not your enemy, " Ichiro reasoned, "Naruto saved me from Nox's brainwashing… we don't have to fight."

"I do not care, boy. To hurt my property is to invite death, and I am too interested in your power to simply let you go. This world has been boring me for far too long… I need a challenge, " she put it bluntly.

"Uh… Gil-chan are you sure about this? He could be another ally, " Musashi voiced her concerns.

Semiramis sighed. "Forget it. Once this woman sets her sights on someone she just won't let go, " she remarked.

"But this is unfair… there's no way a human can beat a servant, " Atalanta jumped into the conversation.

"It's alright… I accept her challenge, " Ichiro suddenly spoke, "If fighting her is what it takes to earn your favor — I'll do it."

"WHAT?!" the servants reacted in unison.

"Is this guy serious? He doesn't look like much of a fighter, " Mine mumbled rudely.

"Yet he managed to beat Naruto… I must say I'm curious, " Akame interjected with her own observation.

"Not that we can do anything now…" Najenda concluded with a reluctant sigh. All present truly expected a one-sided slaughter.

But…

"As interesting as that peasant fight would be, I'm afraid this will be enough for today, " the cold, distorted, and bellowing voice of Nox himself echoed across the prison.

"No…" Najenda felt frozen in place. A realization came to her at that moment, one that ultimately came far too late.

The gateway and stairs Night Raid had used to descend from the tenth floor and down to ninth had quite suddenly been washed away from existence. What remained was no more than a wall.

"Show yourself, coward!" Gilgamesh's crude shouting echoed across the floor as all of the connected structures in the Mausoleum began to quake according to Nox's will.

"Nox… you're the bastard who sent Takeo after us aren't you?" Naruto inquired but there was no response.

"A trap?" Ichiro muttered to himself.

There was no time to find a way out. In but a few seconds, everything collapsed. The enormous prison complex, all of its ten floors, gave in at once plummeting those in its structure into a cascade of endless darkness.

"NOOOOO!" the Dragon Knight let out a blood-curdling scream as he, his comrades, friends, and loved ones hopelessly fell into the abyss.


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's note: Hello everyone and welcome back. This time around we have the debut of part 2 of the ongoing Rising Dragon Saga. After a couple of relatively small cameos in the last two chapters, this time around the spotlight belongs to none other than Mito Uzumaki, Naruto's biological sister. Moreover, parts of Nox's past and his plan start to be revealed.**

**Please beware that there is some sensitive content in the latter portion of the chapter. As such, reader discretion is advised.**

**Original "Dragon Knight" Story by: AZ23AJ**

**Written by: Mercer_am (Wattpad) / Merceram ( )**

**Chapter 11 – Rising Dragon Saga (Part 2: Gale of Death)**

**-Years ago-**

Nox…

It felt like an eternity had passed ever since they first met. Najenda still vividly recalled that one fateful evening from a few years ago when she was called to one of many Imperial camps. As per the norm, the youthful, white-haired general entered a secluded meeting room set amidst the backdrop of a large tent where nothing but a large world map lied on top of a rectangular table.

"The Northern tribes…" she pondered over the objective of that sudden meeting. Tonight the Empire's most talented strategists would decide the fate of over 400,000 lives. Najenda let out a heavy sigh as she put down a large case containing her very own Teigu; Pumpkin.

"You look tired, Najenda."

Like the sudden haunting of a ghost, Esdeath's voice caused the sharpshooter to jump up in surprise.

"Oh, it's you, " Najenda calmly spoke.

Entering the tent, Esdeath placed her hands down on the wooden table. "How was your unit's scouting mission?" she inquired.

"We're right on the money… one swift strike is all it will take to dismantle their villages, " Najenda explained. Esdeath nodded in response, but she mostly kept her attention on the map.

As the minutes dragged on, more members of the Imperial army joined the meeting. Notable among the small crowd was a tall, blonde man with stern facial features and broad shoulders that happened to suit his muscular frame. This man was Great General Budo. His presence put lower-ranking individuals on edge, but nevertheless, he kept his composure and only listened to the goings-on around him.

Alas, the curtains were closed and candles lit; thus giving way for Najenda to speak.

"The tribes might strike this location… our medical camp," she explained whilst pointing at the northernmost end of the map where most of those wounded in the war effort were kept.

"Hmm agreed. Imperial presence is fairly light due to its faraway location and treacherous terrain, but a coordinated platoon could reach it given enough time. In fact, I could have most of my men and the Three Beasts positioned in that area by midnight," Esdeath proposed.

"That would be great, but they will have to move out quickly and as a result, we won't have proper time to allocate supplies for the journey. Moreover, we're short-staffed as is, so we won't be able to send any more reinforcements afterward. And even if we did have the manpower, our true priority is the tribe's villages," Najenda calmly elaborated. It seemed it was all bad news nowadays.

"Well then, it seems they are more trouble than the Capital gave them credit for, " the busty ice queen admitted whilst frowning at the military's lack of competence. Likewise, Najenda sighed in equal disappointment.

Protecting the medical encampment would be easy enough. However, the Empire's leading class, and more specifically a certain fat pig, had other plans for the Northern tribes. Namely their complete annihilation.

It was at this point that Great General Budo stepped in between the two female generals.

"Have you gotten word of the new Lieutenant joining our ranks?" he questioned whilst recalling that a message bird had come to camp not long ago.

"I have sir, but I'm not sure how capable this new Lieutenant is supposed to be…" Najenda put it bluntly.

Esdeath nodded. "I heard he joined the military at the age of fourteen under a false identity and only revealed himself once he got to the rank of officer," she elaborated.

The three generals continued to discuss their options. They were so absorbed in their discussion that all present failed to notice someone walking into the large tent. A guard positioned outside stopped his ongoing smoke break to speak to this visitor. Though he could not see his face fully due to the hood this man wore, the guard could tell this was had a mysterious air about him.

"Yo old man! got any of those cigars left? I'd like a smoke," the assertive young lad mused slyly whilst reaching out with his left hand – hoping for a cigar.

"A filthy beggar huh? Piss off kid, these are not for brats like you," the guard snapped back at the youth.

"Heh… guess I'll take it for myself then, " the boy laugh just before something unreal happened. Two light blue wires suddenly moved in front of the guard as if they were alive only to then snatch the cigar off of his mouth.

"Wha—

Before he could make a comment another wire suddenly appeared and wrapped around the box of cigars by his side pulling it to the young man.

"How did you do that!?" the guard was shocked. Meanwhile, the young man laughed before he lit up a cigarette for himself. He smugly took a few breaths in and out, tasting it deeply.

"Bloody hell — these taste like shit, mate. Capital's piece eh? Should have known these were made by those rotten capitalist wankers, " he joked offhandedly.

"True, but in times of war, we take what we can get right?" the guard reasoned causing the young man to laugh wholeheartedly.

"Damn right! We be out here smoking these pieces of shit, going into the heart of the Northern Tribes, and being paid fuck all, " he played along, "Now if you'll excuse… I got a meeting to attend."

Without another word, the young man stepped through the curtains that kept the inner side of the large tent concealed. Once inside he was shot by over a dozen stares from those inside – apparently, his small conversation with the guard just now was loud enough to interrupt the meeting.

"Yo, " he cheekily introduced himself now that all could see him. He had shoulder-length black hair, greyish blue eyes, and fair white skin. He wore a white-collar shirt, black vest, black fingerless gloves, black tie, dark pants held up by a silver belt, and combat boots. He also had a few medals on his vest.

"Greetings General Esdeath, General Najenda, and Great General Budo. I'm Lieutenant Nox, leader of the Death Troopers Unit at your service, " Nox greeted them with a sly smile

At first most of those present did not think much of him. However, only time would tell how influential Nox would truly be.

* * *

A three-day march toward the territories of the Northern Tribes came and went. Nox rode on a pale white horse while Esdeath and Najenda rode on more typical steads. The witty Lieutenant took the lead followed by the generals and a small group of troopers. In the end, Great General Budo had sent them to obliterate the Northern Tribes as the Prime Minister wanted; thus leaving the faraway Medical Encampment to fend for itself.

As expected of someone as picky as Nox, he made sure to bring along his favorite brand of cigars, the likes of which you would not find in the Imperial Capital. The flamboyant Lieutenant expressed his satisfaction as he smoked by letting out puffs of smoke from his mouth.

"Are you sure you want to lead the attack, Nox?" Najenda pondered breaking the silence amongst the trio.

"Of course, General Najenda. I have my orders and I shall carry them out, simple as that. Worry not though, we will be done here before dawn."

"That's impossible," one of the soldiers by his side muttered in disbelief. Nox merely glared at the man causing him to back down.

"Impossible? Haha! Impossible is hardly the word. Most of you lads are just whipped bitches too afraid to stomach war and get your hands dirty. Watch and learn children," Nox spouted back at the foot soldier before riding ahead of the others.

A sprawling village could be seen in the distance. Awaiting in front of an old wooden bridge, a small army of over four hundred warriors stood ready to guard their home. In comparison, the Imperials present here only numbered at about 200 men, but that did not stop Nox. The pale rider approached his foes at Mach speed whilst the warriors of the Northern tribes laughed in mild amusement. Seeing a mad killer dashing to his certain death was just baiting the savages to meet his wrath in full — and so they did by unleashing a wave of over ten of their best men.

"The heart lies right in the center of mass.

As blood moves all around-o… —

Vile words streamed out of Nox's lips like sweet nectar as he quickly flexed his left hand outward, his fingers weaving into a blur of complex motions. A mere moment afterward his seemingly invisible wires extended into straight lines and went on to move toward his targets. Alas, those ten tribesmen had the center of their chests pierced by those truly invisible lines.

"But once it's ripped right out of your chest

Plop! Goes that muscle…" Nox concluded.

In one swift pull, the Dark Puppeteer caused their hearts to tear apart and burst out of their chests amid an implosion of blood. Onlookers on both sides were left speechless as those unlucky men fell one after the other. Nox meanwhile merely smirked whilst more and more of his magical wires began to pop into existence only to swirl around him and his loyal steed.

"Kneel before me and join my cause. If you do so, I might spare your village… or we can just do this in a much messier way, " the Lieutenant gave his first and last ultimatum. However, the remaining tribesmen would not give in. Instead, they let out a mighty war cry before rushing towards the pale rider.

Nox just smiled at this as he raised one hand up and dramatically proceeded to snap his fingers. Without delay, the hundreds upon hundreds of shining blue wires that had built up around him were unleashed. In the mere blink of an eye, that deadly vortex flew up into the heavens splitting apart the clouds before the small, individual wires began to rapidly rain down at the tribesmen like a Gatling gun.

"GAH—

"NO— AHHHHH!"

"RAAAHHHHHH—

In mere seconds all that dared to oppose Nox were reduced to no more than bloody stains on the side of the road. The few further in the back who lucky enough to survive looked at Nox not as a man or even monster, but the grim reaper himself.

Esdeath and Najenda were in shock. A single lieutenant had taken down over four hundred men within seconds, it was simply unheard of.

"Y'all just sit back lads, I got this, " Nox jested before he rode towards the village.

Within the hour, Nox took over a thousand tribesmen. After he was done, his Death Troopers marched in. Most survivors elected to kneel around Nox as he passed by. He had made himself a god to those people, and the thought of it just made him smile crudely.

Over the coming weeks — over 400,000 souls would journey to the underworld as Nox laid waste to the Northern Tribes. Many would hear of what happened in that region and ponder what fate would befall them.

_"He who rides the pale beast — his name is Death, and Hell follows him wherever he goes,"_ many of the surviving villagers would spread such fables across the Country. Nox had become the very concept of a Shinigami, but to him, this was just the beginning of his ascension.

* * *

**Present Day – The Crumbling Mausoleum**

"A trap?" Ichiro muttered to himself.

There was no time to find a way out. In but a few seconds, everything collapsed. The enormous prison complex, all of its ten floors, gave in at once plummeting those in its structure into a cascade of endless darkness.

"NOOOOO!" the Dragon Knight let out a blood-curdling scream as he, his comrades, friends, and loved ones fell to their untimely deaths… or so it would seem.

"Hyah!" Luna, Fal, and Air cried out in fear. Debris, rubble, and dust filled their surroundings causing them to cough up as everyone plummeted into the growing abyss.

"If we keep failing we're gonna end up being crushed as the floors smash into each other!" Najenda pointed out in the heat of that disastrous moment.

"WE NEED TO FIND A WAY OUT OF HERE!" Mine lost her cool.

"I can't use Gate of Skye… it's like this prison is draining our abilities, " Scathach put it bluntly as she used the one spear she had available to swiftly bat away the destruction in her path.

"That bastard! How could he fool us like this?!" Naruto angrily shouted. The clock ticked towards doom, but Gilgamesh seemed unfazed.

"Still naught but amateurs. Nox, your power cannot match that of a king! " she calmly remarked.

"Gil-chan?" Musashi tilted her head and questioned in a puzzled tone. The King of Heroes smirked proudly in response. Snapping her fingers, she called forth a myriad of circular golden portals belonging to the gate of Babylon yet not a single Noble Phantasm emerged from them.

"Quick you fools! Fall into the portals or you're going to be left behind!" the golden female uttered before opening a portal right in front of her descent giving way for her to escape into the treasury of Babylon.

"Come on guys!" Naruto hyped himself up as he dove like a missile towards one of the portals.

"Very well… I shall also take my leave," Ichiro quietly muttered as his ethereal body vanished like a shadow.

The more nimble of the group such as Akame, Jack, Musashi, Medusa, and Scathach rapidly lined themselves up with the portals. The former Assassin of Black, in particular, was able to grab onto Fran as the two fell. Last but not least the remaining members of Night Raid all managed to land in a portal with ease – all except Mine.

"NO! NO! NO! Don't leave me!" she howled as tears streamed down her face. Seeing this, Naruto knew he had to do something.

"She's too far above me… if I go now she'll die for sure!"

A thousand outcomes ran through his mind, but there was only one way.

"Brother Karna… lend me your strength once more!" he proclaimed with all of his might as his body became enraptured in a sea of flames. That fiery power was then redirected to his feet; thus allowing him to burst upward like a human rocket.

"I got you!" he spoke reassuringly as he caught up to Mine and embraced her tightly, "Hold on, this is gonna be a rough ride!"

Without warning, a divine set of golden armor and a single golden earring materialized onto Mine's body. The Dragon Knight then proceeded to blast through the falling debris at incredible speed.

"RAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! BRAHMASTRA!" Naruto Sieghart's mighty roar echoed all around as a beam of pure concentrated fire was shot from his eyes evaporating any falling debris in his path. The Dragon Knight and the Pink Sharpshooter burst through the top of the Mausoleum and up into the heavens before anticlimactically crashing down onto the forest below. More specifically, on a small riverbed.

"Na… Naruto?" Mine got up soon afterward. The golden armor that protected her petite body through that daring escape dispersed into a stream of golden particles. However, what had her worried the most was the dire state Naruto was in.

"Mi...ne, " he could hardly speak. Calling forth Karna's godly armor to protect Mine and using the Brahmastra to clear a path had drained him to the point where he lacked the strength to move an inch. Not to mention the damage his body sustained in the battle with Ichiro.

"What...What do I do?" the assassin begged for an answer. Nevertheless, Naruto could speak no longer. The once cheerful knight had gone silent, his eyes closed.

"I…" Mine mumbled under her breath. Unsure of her fate, the young maiden let the tears take over.

"There they are, get them!"

Thunderous footsteps could be heard approaching the pair. Mine saw that those belonged to a remnant unit of soldiers that were previously assigned to patrolling the Outer Fortress around the greater Mausoleum.

_"I have to do this… otherwise, Naruto-kun won't make it!"_

Reluctant yet courageous at heart, Mine took aim at her targets using Pumpkin. The legendary energy weapon charged up giving way to a rain of quick burst fire upon the rows of soldiers.

"SHIT!"

"GA—

Each beam of bright yellow energy pierced through the Imperial Soldiers splattering them into bloody mists.

"You lot better turn and run because you're not touching my Naruto!" Mine shouted from the very depths of her heart showcasing both courage and, for the first time, honesty. However, more would be needed in this situation.

"Shoot back you fools!" those were the last words shed Mine heard before a bullet grazed past her shoulder causing the girl to flinch.

"Shit!"

Soon afterward the hail of gunfire started anew, this time it came from a group of approaching Death Troopers which forced Night Raid's sniper to retreat behind the still unconscious Naruto.

Regardless of his current state, Mine knew that Servants were Divine Mysteries that could not be harmed by modern weapons such as guns, knives, or even bombs unless they were infused with a supernatural aspect such as magical energy or possessed a certain amount of age. This made the unconscious young man a nearly indestructible meat shield that could only be bested by ancient weapons full of mystery such as the 48 Teigu.

More and more Death Troopers had begun to encroach upon Mine's location. Hundreds upon hundreds of bullets just bounced off of Naruto's skin or hit the river's waters while Mine hid behind him. If not for the Dragon Knight she'd be swiss cheese right about now.

It would seem that the solitary sniper had no chance at all when out in the open against fifty or more men armed with automatic rifles.

"Come on, Mine… think of something!" she began to scream inside her head. The rest of her team was nowhere to be found and sooner or later a grenade or other such explosive was sure to smoke her out of cover.

"Someone… please help us!"

It was then that it happened.

The clouded skies parted all the way to the horizon giving way for a crimson meteor to befall upon the land. In its wake, the ground shook violently and the souls there present became victims of a terrible fate.

The Imperial Soldiers could only give out a sad whimper as the "meteor" became the maker of their demise. These men were the Death Troopers, Nox's best, and yet they could not react to the silhouette of the woman that now tore their limbs to shreds one by one.

By the time this killer slowed down, a large river of blood had formed beneath her heels. More than 50 souls were sent to the underworld without as much as a warning – the female that took their short lives away smiled crudely from ear to ear whilst her hands dripped with the blood of those she so easily slaughtered.

"Humans in this world are so squishy… I love it! Kakakakaka!" she chuckled to her own amusement. Mito Uzumaki truly was an incredibly powerful and merciless killing machine.

With no rush at all, she turned to see the speechless statue that was Mine and the unconscious Dragon Knight.

"Hello, there Pinky! Guess I showed up just in the nick of time eh?" Mito jested and did a little twirl in place before proceeding to lick the blood on her nails.

"Hmmm, it's quite tasty… want some?" she sarcastically remarked whilst casually strolling toward Mine and Naruto. Truth be told, the pink sniper had a hard time doing as little as breathing. The raw pressure she felt around Mito made her body shake down to her very bones.

"Wh-Who ar-are you…?" Mine did her best to speak whilst she stood up and grabbed tightly onto Pumpkin taking aim at the monstrously powerful female. The sniper then hopped a few feet ahead of Naruto's body trying to stand her ground and keep the knight safe.

Mito smiled at that. "Me? Back where I'm from they call me 'The Gale of Death' but my name is Mito Uzumaki…" she introduced herself with a cordial bow, "But more importantly I'm here to take my older brother to a Big ol'Party, you should come with us pinky… what do you think~?

"Brother…?" Mine was hit by a spike of confusion, but before she could properly take in what Mito just said, the Gale of Death appeared right in front of the sniper after moving as fast as lightning. Mine tried to press the trigger yet it was already far too late for her. Mito slapped Pumpkin away with ease only to immediately afterward grab Mine by the neck and lift her into the air like a paperweight.

"I...—Guh!" the pressure threatened to snap her neck yet Mine could tell Mito was merely playing around. After all, she could have easily taken her head off in a billionth of a second if she really was out to kill. That said, her strength was nonetheless absolutely monstrous.

Mine gazed over to the grass where Pumpkin fell. The little force Mito used was more than enough to shatter the Teigu into a small pile of broken parts.

"Say Pinky… do you want to become immortal?" Mito suddenly inquired, at the same time easing up on her rock hard grip.

"Wha—

Mine coughed up blood.

"Oops, my bad! It seems I still don't know my own strength… the people from this world are just so easy to break," the seductive Mito voiced her crude thoughts just as she brought Mine's face closer to her own.

"Please… sto—

Without care for her victim's consent, Mito carefully licked the blood around Mine's lips.

Mito's tongue swirled laps around the defenseless girl's lip only to alas invade her mouth in a moment of weakness. Their tongues wrestled leading to Mine's emotionally distraught mind blanking out for an instant.

"Kakaka! Your taste ain't half bad Pinkie. Hmmm I'm partly a vampire you see, and if you join me, eternal life can be all yours – at the small cost of your free will of course…" the Dark Trickster chuckled like she was having the time of her life.

"You're… I don't care if you're his sister! you're no better than Takeo or Nox!" Mine tried to grab Mito's wrist with both of her hands and push it away, but all that really did was get the jokester to harden her grip around Mine's neck.

"No then? Fine… I'll just suck you dry! Kakaka!"

Mito let go off of Mine's neck and allowed her to fall on her butt only to then quickly straddle her. Without delay, the vampiric girl ran her fangs over the skin on the right side of Mine's neck.

In that moment of despair… Mito's shadow suddenly came to life and kicked her aside.

"What the—

The Gale of Death was forced to back away by her own silhouette. That shadow then morphed itself, slowly taking the form of none other than the mysterious weaver of darkness; Ichiro Hajime.

He sighed. "That's enough of your trickery… Mito."

"Oh, Ichiro-kun… I see you broke free of Lord Nox's mind control. This just got a lot more interesting," Mito licked her lips excited for her next meal.

The two locked their individual gazes upon each other as if there were some history between them.

"Do you want to see it, Ichiro-kun? My real power!"

"I wouldn't take anything less…"

"Alright then — let's go Kurama!"

The ground shook as Mito burned with excitement. Her yellow eyes shifted to a deep vermillion color whilst her whole body was embedded in a sea that mixed both golden and blood-red chakra. Yes, this was the ultimate proof of her might. The total and overwhelming potential carried by the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails — or at least one of its halves.

"That's right. You may be strong enough to defeat Naruto Onii-chan, but are you sure those shadows of yours can keep up with my vampire powers and the Nine-Tails' Chakra cloak?" Mito smugly mocked her new challenger, but Ichiro did not react. Instead, he looked over to Mine who had already rushed over to Naruto.

"Ichi...ro," the Dragon Knight struggled to get up on one knee right after regaining consciousness. Mine remained steadfast by his side even though she endured a great trauma and had no Teigu to defend herself.

"Thinking of running away with them? Not gonna happ—

Mito's daring words were interrupted by the sudden yet uniquely loud sound of a large bell ringing. The sound came from the far off direction where the Mausoleum was.

"What the hell?" Naruto inquired – unable to believe what his eyes showed him.

From the wreckage left behind by the prison, a beam of cosmic energy flowed into the heavens like a reversed waterfall that itself was black and seemingly contained its own endless array of stars and galaxies within its current. That strange energy then shot into the distance, more specifically in the direction of the Imperial Capital.

"Oh well then. Looks like the real party is about to start…" Mito chuckled deviously only to right after shoot up into the skies like a missile.

As she looked down upon her brother and his allies, Mito gave way to a meek yet remarkably truthful smile.

"You're… my sister?" Naruto summarized from the little his mind absorbed during his period of long unconsciousness.

"Naruto Onii-chan… Our father gave you a chance to live a meaningless yet safe existence. But now, well now that you've stepped in our business… you and your friends will suffer."

And with that said, Mito blasted off into the far distance heading for the Capital. Whatever Nox's ultimate plan might be, the Empire was at its core. Likewise, the energy unleashed from within the destroyed Mausoleum seemed to subside after a little while.

Ichiro quickly approached Naruto and Mine, both were still recovering.

"Ichiro… I need you to tell me everything you know about Nox's plan, why he locked you up, and about Mito's involvement in all of this," Naruto sincerely spoke out. Ichiro merely smiled in return.

"It's a deal — I'll tell you everything I know on the way to the Capital," he concurred.

Thus the trio began their march into enemy territory. Whatever dark truths awaited him, Naruto was sure that his biological family would be at the heart of it all.

_**To be continued**_

* * *

**Mito's Bio**

**Theme Song: A Stranger I Remain (Sly Shinobi Mix)**

**Background:**

The twin sister of Menma Namikaze and Naruto's biological older sister. Mito is a troublemaker at heart, one that is often called a "trickster" by her peers.

Mito was born a year after Naruto was sold off by his parents and a minute before her twin, Menma. Even as a young girl, Mito was always playful and a bit of a goofball who did not care much about training or keeping up with her brother Menma. However, that was offset by her raw, overwhelming potential as the Jinchūriki of the Yin half of the Nine-Tails and the current reincarnation of Asura Ōtsutsuki which gave her all the power she needed to be useful.

Some say she is extremely loyal to Minato, but she has been known to at times disregard his strict orders to instead play around with her opponents. She is the type who enjoys utterly breaking a foe before killing them off in some ironic way.

Menma and Mito received extensive genetic modifications while still in their mother's womb in order to effectively preprogram ideal traits and to give them greater potential than the average human. Mito, in particular, was given the unique genetics of a mythical vampiric creature thought extinct. As a result, Mito developed extremely unique physical features such as fangs, pointy ears, and a hunger for human blood. Moreover, she also gained additional abilities exclusive to herself.

Currently, she works under the mysterious Nox. Her objectives are a mystery, but she has a great interest in Naruto Sieghart and his allies.

**Personality**

Mito is a tactical genius concealed by a veil of trickery. In combat she often acts childish, playful, or even flirty — but in truth that is no more than an act to gauge her targets and potentially get them to drop their guard. Outside of combat, however, Mito is known to be a thrill-seeker who seeks excitement in its various forms.

Namely a lover of art and music, Mito prioritizes her own interests/hobbies and values those who partake in them. That said, all who befriended her seem to eventually become her food.

**Powers and Stats:**

**Name:** Mito Uzumaki

**Origin:** Dragon Knight

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** 17

**Classifications & Titles:** Vampire-Jinchūriki hybrid, Trickster of Demise, Asura Incarnate, The Gale of Death.

**Hair:** Jet black with a red bang

**Eyes:** Yellow with black pupils

**Attire:** A red gothic Lolita dress, high heels, and a Death Trooper Cloak

**Likes:** A trickster at heart — Mito thrives at playing with her opponents until they submit to her every whim. Outside of battle, she spends her free time enjoying the thrill of hunting her next meal or searching for young man and woman that pique her interest.

**Dislikes:** Chivalry and those who let rules hold them back from greatness.

**Sexuality:** Bisexual

**Relatives:**

_Minato Namikaze (Father)__  
__  
__Kushina Uzumaki (Mother)__  
__  
__Menma Namikaze (Younger Brother)__  
__  
__Naruto Sieghart (Disowned Older Brother)_

_Lord Nox (?)_

**Powers and Abilities:** Varies depending on each of her forms:

**[Base form abilities]**

-Superhuman Physical Characteristics (Strength, speed, etc)

-Acrobatics

-Chakra Manipulation

-Surface Scaling

-Skilled Hand-to-Hand Combatant

-Weapon Mastery

-Social Influencing

-Energy Projection

-Stealth Mastery

-Accelerated Development

-Multiple Personalities (As a Jinchūriki)

-Aura creation

-Explosion Manipulation with explosive tags

-Body Control with Kurama's chakra

-Corrosion Inducement, and Vibration Manipulation with Kurama's chakra

-Regeneration (Can regenerate in an instant from wounds like being pierced through her chest and right lung)

-True Flight

-Portal Creation (Can use this to travel across worlds)

-Statistics Amplification (Can enhance her speed and physical capabilities with chakra, and can further increase her statistics with Kurama's chakra)

-Longevity (As a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, she possesses an extraordinary life-force, granting her a longer lifespan than others. Moreover, as a vampire, she can indefinitely expand her lifespan by sucking blood)

-Power Bestowal (Can transform others into lesser vampire minions by sucking on their blood or grant some of her powers and chakra to others via a kiss)

-Telepathy (Can read the minds of targets by making contact with them and connecting her chakra to them)

-Shapeshifting (Can transform into living beings and inanimate objects, and can use this in battle to confuse opponents and catch them off-guard in a variety of ways)

-Duplication (Can create solid "shadow clones" that are identical to her and can use her abilities as well as relay any information they gained back to the original upon being dispersed)

-Can replace herself with inanimate objects in the vicinity to avoid damage

-Can attack targets that enter her mind

-Can create chakra arms to attack targets from a distance and grant her better mobility and maneuverability

-Her chakra can act as a forcefield around her

-Resistance to Sleep Inducement (Power Scales to the canon version of Naruto who resisted Itachi's attempt to put him to sleep)

-Illusion Creation and Mind Manipulation as a perfect jinchūriki

**[Blood Queen Mode]**

-Blood Manipulation (Can freely command the flow of blood inside any life form)

-Paralysis inducement (Can paralyze someone by altering their blood flow)

**[Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]**

-All previous abilities enhanced to a much greater degree

-Emotion Detection (Can sense hatred and other forms of negative intents and emotions)

-Clairvoyance

-Resistance to Soul Manipulation (Power Scales to the canon version of Naruto who resisted Nagato's attempt to extract his soul, although he was saved by Itachi soon after)

-Resistance to Paralysis Inducement (Power Scales to the canon version of Naruto who resisted the effects of Nagato's black receivers, which paralyze and restricts the movements of targets, and also controls their movements, despite being in close proximity with him)

**[Six-Paths Nine-Tails Chakra Mode]**

-All previous abilities significantly enhanced

-Self-Sustenance (Type 1. Able to breathe in space)

-Can summon corrosive poison

-Sealing

-Extrasensory Perception (Her sensory capabilities are increased to the point that she can detect invisible clones that exist in another dimension)

-Cross Dimensional Interaction (Capable of interacting with Madara Uchiha's limbo clones)

-Healing (Can save others from the brink of death and restore missing organs)

-Limited Life Manipulation (Capable of restoring the life force of Might Guy)

-Matter Manipulation (The Truth-Seeking Balls are superior to Onoki's Dust Release, which turns targets to dust on a molecular level)

-Limited Power Nullification (The Truth-Seeking Balls can nullify ninjutsu, which includes energy and elemental based attacks, with the exception of those imbued with natural energy)

-Non-Physical Interaction (Capable of holding open Kaguya's portal which has been shown to go through solid ice)

-Resistance to Matter Manipulation (Users of Six paths chakra are unaffected by the effects of the Truth-Seeking Balls)

-Limited Resistance to Power Nullification (Users of Six Paths chakra can bypass the nullification effects of the Truth-Seeking Balls and the attacks of Six Paths chakra users can bypass the nullification effects of the Truth-Seeking Balls)

-Limited Invulnerability (Shares the same chakra as Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki who as the Juubi Jinchūriki was impervious to ninjutsu, which includes energy and elemental attacks, with the exception of those that contain natural energy)

**Standard Equipment:** None notable (Usually fights using either her bare hands or her powers)

**Intelligence:** Despite her playful nature, Mito is highly capable as a strategist.

**Weaknesses:** Needs to feed at least once every week in order to maintain her full strength. Her playful nature may prevent her from dealing a finishing blow.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 Rising Dragon Saga (Part 3: The Inevitable)**

Though in the middle of a desperate situation, Ichiro nonetheless found time to elaborate on his origins to both Naruto and Mine during their trek to the Imperial Capital. The Hunter looked down on himself sorrowfully as he began to convey the truth behind it all.

"Where do I even begin?

I guess… telling you about the Northern Tribes would be a start, wouldn't it?

A few years ago many of the barbarians of the North were exterminated… in one fell swoop, hundreds of thousands were made to bend their knees or to die trying to fight back. The man behind that genocide, you know him as Nox… those who know of his terror personally call him the Angel of Death.

From what I could gather… he has been around for a very long time despite looking so young. Only in recent years has he shown physical signs of aging past his teen years. I'm not sure why. Records say he joined the Empire when he was a boy, but that is most likely a cover-up.

Nevertheless, I met Nox long before his genocidal act. More than a decade prior to the destruction of the Northern Tribes and predating his allegiance to the Empire — that man led a platoon of his Death Troopers into the home of the Partas clan… my home.

We were simple enough. A band of misfits wary of the world around us and that was reflected in our way of living. Our home was but a small village mostly built off of what the region had to offer, we had very little in the way of worldly possessions. Above all else, we had a creed to keep us going forward no matter how bleak things got.

_" The strong will forever prosper into the new dawn. Those who surrender to fate will perish under the great twilight."_

That is who we were.

Hunters in the wilderness, we fought our hardest to live forevermore. The strong would live, the weak would fall… a cruel but very precise assessment of our reality.

My father was the head of the clan, but I never met him, never even knew his name. The woman who gave birth to me was no more than a whore to him, but alas she tried to get him to acknowledge me as his son anyway when I was but a baby.

The leader already had a family… and thus my mother was promptly excommunicated from the clan and killed. I, however, was allowed to live under the care of a few kind clansmen who took pity on my infant self."

Ichiro paused for a moment reflecting on what he had said so far.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Partas Clan? I think I recall hearing that name somewhere…"

"You should. That's where Esdeath was born, she's supposed to be the daughter of their leader," Mine interjected with a perplexed expression.

"Then that means…" Naruto slowly reached the same conclusion as a young girl.

"Indeed — Esdeath and I shared the same father. Though, I'm sure she doesn't know a thing about me. After all, our father made sure we would never cross paths. I was to be but a talentless foot soldier to be thrown in the wild while my sister was a true prodigy."

"Ichiro… don't tell me that—

"It's all true I'm afraid. They came as swiftly as the wind and as a destructive as the flames of a forest fire. Nox and his Death Troopers killed everyone in sight without a hint of mercy. By pure chance, or perhaps one of God's miracles, Esdeath was out hunting that day… but I was there through it all."

"How did you make it out?" Mine gently inquired.

"I didn't really. Nox was there… for me."

"What?!" the two reacted.

"His exact words were:

_I've finally found you, little Ichiro Hajime. Here you're no more than an inconvenience… but I'll make good use of you, bastard child. Within the walls of my Mausoleum, your life will have a new meaning._

And he was correct.

The Mausoleum itself is an ancient superstructure built in the formative years of the Empire as what was to be the 49th Teigu, but it was deemed far too dangerous and abandoned. It was meant to serve as a device that would draw on the very sins of those held as prisoners there turning their raw life force into a manifestation of power.

Over the long years that followed Nox has captured hundreds of thousands of people and tossed them in there… and as they fought for their survival the Mausoleum did its job. It effectively harnessed their lives into a new, raw, and untainted form of power.

I was to serve as the immovable barrier that kept everyone inside… to that end, Nox gave me the living shadow that now lives inside my soul and Mito would then brainwash me into becoming the mindless monster you saw a few hours ago."

Suddenly coming to a halt atop a verdant hill, Ichiro reached for the bandana he used as a facemask and lowered it; thus fully revealing his face as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"If it wasn't for you… I might have never awakened from that nightmare," he spoke honestly.

Naruto clenched his fists. "Ichiro… I swear that Nox is going to pay for this!" he proclaimed.

"The odds aren't in our favor here, Naruto," the Red-Eyed Hunter put it bluntly. He then continued to speak honestly:

"All that dense cosmic energy you saw being sent towards the Capital… Nox and Mito plan to absorb it and ascend into a whole new level of existence. The concentrated sins and dark emotions of innumerable souls have been weaponized by the Mausoleum and given birth to something endless, a power so great that it could very easily return the infinitely branching timelines of our universe to nothingness and recreate it in Nox's twisted image."

"My… My brain hurts," Mine admitted, she was unable to grasp even half of that.

"I get that we're on the losing end here… but there is a chance we could stop those two if we get to the Capital before they do," Naruto proposed in spite of the overwhelming sense of hopelessness. The other two merely nodded in response.

"And another thing, Naruto," Ichiro added.

"Yes?"

"Back when Nox took me, I saw some of his best soldiers. Some of them were Heroic Spirits — a lot of them are girls like the ones who stand by your side. Chances are that Nox himself is not someone of this world just like you."

Naruto fell silent, biting his lip in frustration. The thought of Nox exploiting the Throne of Heroes for his own benefit was infuriating. Nevertheless, the Dragon Knight continued to journey alongside his group. The thought of stopping Nox was the only thing he could really focus on the right about now. After all, the entire world depended on that.

"Guys look!" Mine suddenly pointed towards the horizon with great haste.

In the far horizon, a vast, swirling field of cosmic energy could be seen encircling the Capital from ground level all the way to the clouds high above. Like a great hurricane, it engulfed the entire city in its rotation, but somehow it did not annihilate the sprawling urban jungle in the eye of the storm.

_"We're running out of time…"_ Naruto thought.

Without delay, the trio rushed into the eye of the storm.

**-Some time ago in the woods surrounding the Capital's entrance**

Standing atop a hill overlooking a large verdant clearing where his many Death Troopers remained stationed, Nox calmly reached for his face in order to remove the silver reaper mask he usually wore in battle. He was no longer the youthful trickster that Ichiro and Najenda knew, but instead, a commander of war with a stern look, long flowing jet black hair with silver highlights, and an imposing muscular build.

With no further delay, he began his speech.

"Lads… for years we've strived to attain what we rightfully deserve. Necessity is truly blind until it becomes conscious. The freedom we, at last, attain here is but the consciousness of that necessity, a necessity for a world free of the corrupt capitalist scum that runs this Empire!

You pledged your loyalty to my cause and for so long we have fought… now let the ruling classes tremble in the wake of our revolution! Let no one stop you, lads… we have naught to lose but the chains that bind us!"

Nox's words resonated amidst his troopers followed by thunderous applause from the crowd. Hundreds if not thousands of men and women alike cheered and roared in unity. All of them dressed as reapers, all of the weapons in their leader's quest for true liberation.

"Behold!" the Angel of Death pointed to the skies directly above the capital.

The cascading river of cosmic energy gathered by the Mausoleum parted the skies at light speed. In as little as a blink of an eye the glistening storm went on to crush the Capital's thick walls and encircle its territory. All of this was accompanied by the crude and unfiltered laughter of the Angel of Death.

"No matter how tall the walls they build… here we make a stand against the pigs in power!" he shouted with all of his wills. Around the same time, Mito could be seen landing beside Nox.

"Well, well aren't you excited. Careful there, don't wanna have a stroke before becoming God now do you?" she joked before playfully punching his shoulder.

"Heh… you may not show it but you too yearn for the power to crush Minato," he analyzed.

"Well duh, and by the way, Naruto is still alive and should be making his way here."

"Very well. He too shall be a witness of the coming revolution," Nox once more reached for the sky but this time with a flare pistol in hand.

"Listen well! Your armors shall shield you from the energy… now go! Rise up and storm the Imperial Palace! Kill whoever threatens your advance! And make sure to leave the Prime Minister for us!"

Alas, he fired. The bright red flare rising into the sky gave way to the ground quaking beneath the march of the legion under Nox's command. This was the beginning of the end for the current ruling government.

**Present Day - The Streets of the Capita**l

An unending inferno.

The stench of death bathed the streets of the urban jungle painting its structures in the blood of those trying to defend the city. Like a gale of death and destruction, Nox's forces opened moved into the open battlefield slicing apart guards left and right. Armed with serrated blades, the masked killers dashed across the streets at speeds close to that of sound only to then cut them apart like onions.

Those lucky enough to fire their weapons were met by nimble Death Troopers that proved themselves more than capable to dance around their bullets. In the end, those gunners also met their demise. Mercy was not something the Death Troopers partook in.

Meanwhile leading the assault, Mito speed blitzed entire legions of guards splitting open human skulls like they were made of paper and tearing apart human hearts from their chests only to bite down on them viciously. A half-vampire like her simply had to keep herself at peak condition after all.

However the swiftest and most brutal of the group was none other than the Angel of Death himself. His treads weaved together in one swift motion and turned dozens of armed men into bloody paintings in but a single instant. It was truly the sight of a massacre.

"BASTARD! GRAND FALL!"

An unexpected occurrence.

Leaping high into the sky, the Jaeger known as Wave activated his Trump card. Like an armored missile, he dives kicked in Nox's direction ready to end his life.

Durable.

Strong.

Unstoppable.

Wave was a bastion of hope for the Imperials that now found themselves on the receiving end of carnage incarnate.

"Big mistake lad," Nox mused.

Like he was caught in a spider's web, Nox's all but invisible threads converged towards the boy and bounded his limbs in place.

And just like that…

"Wha—

His battle was over before it even began.

" Gah…" a deathly whimper escaped Wave's mouth as the bifurcated pieces of his body and armor disassembled and rained like a river over the streets. Blood, guts, bones, and the remnants of Grand Chariot itself, it was all there. But the key to it all was the boy's head which Nox wrapped in his wires and swiftly pulled it towards his own hands. Proudly catching it midair, the Angel of Death grinned proudly as he held Wave's severed head up high for all to see.

" An Angel of Death is always prepared! Be Prepared! Be Prepared! Be Prepared" he chanted triumphantly as the march towards the Imperial Palace continued. This chant was mirrored by all Death Troopers under his command. The noise their war cries produced was thunderous, so much so that it shook the hearts of all on the opposing side of the war.

"Wave…" a young girl whispered her deceased lover's name.

Atop the palace's balcony overlooking the city Esdeath, Prime Minister Honest and the rest of the Jaegers could only watch. Kurome, in particular, broke down as she fell to her knees and cried over the realization that the young fisherman who had fiercely battled for her affection met such a cruel end.

"Wave… tch!" Seryu tried her best to hold back the tears. Though her time with the youth was short, it was nonetheless enough to endear him in her heart of hearts as a loyal comrade.

"Let me kill him… now!" Esdeath vehemently demanded whilst clutching her fists. The deep humiliation of having one her underlings killed in such a manner was enough to make her want to disembowel Nox without a second thought.

"Not a chance in hell. With Budo out of the Capital, it is up to you to keep me alive! That bastard Nox cannot be allowed to win!" the Prime Minister bemoaned the Ice Queen's desire for revenge. But truth be told, he was just terrified of meeting that same fate.

"We won't stand still while the world comes crumbling down!" Run interjected his own emotionally charged feelings into the debate.

"That's right! We must fight!" Seryu concurred with anger and resentment commanding her actions.

"Very well, Jaegers! Avenge your comrade! CHARGE!" Esdeath commanded in tandem with her companions' bloodlust. Honest could do naught but watch as the group prepared to leap towards danger in spite of the overwhelming odds.

Comradery.

Respect.

Togetherness.

Such things would never have swayed her thoughts once before, but Esdeath was different now.

"If I was uncaring and ruthless if I just killed for the sake of probing my strength… then I'm sure you'd hate me, Naruto."

Indeed. Though their love was short-lived it happened to make the Ice Queen reconsider her ways.

Like lightning bolts coming down onto the land, Esdeath's group landed causing great excitement to come upon the dwindling numbers of Imperials. No more than a second later, Esdeath led the charge against Nox's Death Troopers.

"You shall not pass!" Run shouted whilst spreading his angelic wings wide open.

Immediately a hail of feathers as sharp and as deadly as blades began to rain upon the invading force. The normally calm and collected Jaeger felt a great deal of pleasure as his onslaught of angelic justice tore apart many of Nox's men. If one was hit by a feather their bodies would more than likely be cut right through like they were made of butter. In no time at all the battlefield would be filled with body parts and bloody remains if nothing was to be done.

"FEEL MY WRATH! JUSTICE VOLLEY FIRE!" Seryu, armed with an assortment of oversized canons and other weaponry, commenced her own brand of slaughter.

Hundreds were either shot down due to Seryu's insane rainstorm of bullets or pierced by the equally overwhelming feathers shot down by Run. Nevertheless, one could not but help but notice that both Nox and Mito were seemingly unfazed by it all. Their natural durability alone was enough to no sell those projectiles as they just stood there with a menacing smirk stamped across their lips.

"I'll be your opponent!" Esdeath appeared right in front of Nox in the blink of an eye. Her rapier was intended for piercing his heart, however, the man merely weaved his wires jointly to halt the Ice Queen's movements.

"Guh!" she gasped as a razor-sharp wire came dangerously close to her neck.

"Would you give me a moment dear?" Nox belittled her before turning his casual gaze towards the so-called Angel of the Jaegers.

"Mito, would you kindly do the honors?" he inquired nonchalantly.

"But of course," Mito Uzumaki's witty and quirky nature came through in her quick response and tone.

In but a second, Naruto's mysterious sister was also floating above the battlefield.

"Who are you?!" Run demanded to know.

"Me? I'm the last person you'll see before you die," she shot back at him. Suddenly a golden cloak and aura surrounded the girl's body as a powerful but condensed sphere of red energy gathered in her grasp.

"Tailed Beast Ball," she spoke whilst effortlessly firing it towards Run.

"I won't let you!" the Jaeger attempted to redirect or match her attack by focusing his onslaught of feathers towards it, but it was no use.

Run could do nothing but smile.

He would not live to see a world free from corruption it seems.

_"I'm sorry everyone… I'm sorry Wave… it seems I'll be joining you sooner than I expected."_

As the ball of energy collided against his body at the speed of light, its mass grew. Enveloped in a massive explosion, Run didn't even feel death's embrace or anything of the sort. His entire body was simply dismantled atom by atom in a singular second.

"Two down, three to go…" Nox contemplated in a mocking tone whilst looking at the restrained and powerless Esdeath eye to eye.

"You won't… get away with this!" she struggled to speak.

"I already have," he put it simply before quite literally smacking Wave's severed head against her cranium with enough impetus to knock her out cold and at the same time splatter the dead fisherman's brain all over her fallen body.

"Truly a work of art," he complimented himself. Now only Seryu and Kurome remained active on the battlefield. The former had stopped firing the moment Esdeath entered the shooting range and the latter was too shocked to do anything relevant. Nox had clearly triumphed this day.

As Mito landed beside him, Nox smiled. "Alright Mito, take these three. Esdeath will be the hardest to control, but they'll make for excellent Death Troopers," he reasoned.

Mito merely nodded. Before the two girls could even process what was about to happen - two doppelgangers of Mito had appeared from puffs of smoke and proceeded to strike each Jaeger on the back of the head with a karate chop strong enough to knock them out.

"And so… the reign of the Jaegers comes to its premature conclusion."

It wouldn't be another hour before the remnants of the Imperial forces collapsed under the invading force's overpowering force. Now with nowhere to go, the Prime Minister could only watch and wait as Nox and Mito made their way over the corpses of the fallen and towards the balcony wherein he stood.

Little did he know that this was just the start of a far greater catastrophe.

**-Two hours later**

"My god…" Mine muttered in absolute disbelief. Naruto and Ichiro in the meantime could hardly believe what they were seeing as well. The stench of death, broken corpses, devastation on a larger scale than any of them had seen before.

"This place is dead," Ichiro said whilst clenching his fists.

"We had to wait for all that energy to dissipate… there was no way we could have saved them," the Dragon Knight tried his best to stick to objective reasoning yet even so he kept his head low and grasped his chest as if feeling the pain of what Nox and Mito wrought upon these people.

Genocide.

There was no other way to put it.

Nox's army had completely decimated the Empire's homefront and now they intended to end it all only to start over in a new world made in that madman's image.

"I swear… I'm gonna kill those two. No matter what it takes, I will avenge these people!" Naruto gave into his fiery anger. A swirl of flames came upon his frame as a set of golden armor pieces enveloped him and a golden spear came upon his possession. These were his strongest gifts - the weapons of the legendary hero; Karna.

Without further ado, the trio made their way to the Imperial Palace in the distance. There was not a soul left to stop them, but something else had the group stop in their tracks.

Ahead.

Specifically, the head of Prime Minister Honest stuck to a spear that was planted right in front of the gates to the palace.

No words were spoken.

The three could do little more than gulp down any doubts and charge straight to the throne room, but before they could do so a familiar voice reached them.

"Rushing into danger, as usual, you foolish man?" the proud and mighty words of the King of Heroes resonated through the wasteland giving hope to Naruto's heavy heart. In that same second the members of Night Raid and his lovers could be seen emerging from the Gate of Babylon's golden portals alongside Gilgamesh herself.

"Gil-chan!" Naruto rushed over to her and embraced the woman in a tight hug.

"Kept you waiting long enough eh, shrimp?" Najasho casually remarked as he stepped into the scene.

"I'm honestly surprised you're still alive, chief," Akame spoke to the side in regards to her former teammate.

"No thanks to you… Gilgamesh was the one who sent our unconscious bodies to her treasury," Mashiro glared at the Red-Eyed Killer.

"Woah easy there you two! I get that there is some bad blood there, but right now there is a lot at stake here," Tatsumi tried to reason with them. In the meantime, Naruto let go of Gil-chan and walked to the front of the group as if he was about to give a speech.

"Listen… we've been caught off guard. It seems Nox has been planning this takeover from the shadows for years and we still don't know who he really is or where he came from. But I know this… the Death Troopers will be waiting for us in there. So I need y'all to keep them preoccupied while I, Gil-chan, and Ichiro deal with Mito and Nox."

"Why only three? Wouldn't we stand a greater chance if we gang up on those two?" Sayo proposed.

"You'd just get in the way, mongrel. Even at your best all you'd succeed in doing is getting yourselves killed. Only Naruto, Ichiro, and I have the means to battle Nox and that fiend called Mito," Gilgamesh put it bluntly, "But at least you have the guts to ask."

"No need for further delays… let's move, yes?" Ichiro proposed.

"Very well," Naruto concurred.

Delays were unnecessary at this point- it was done or die.

The main hall was littered with Death Troopers for Night Raid and the Heroic Spirits to hold back. Just like planned, Ichiro moved Gilgamesh and Naruto through the shadows and thus the strongest trio emerged within the confines of the Throne Room.

"At last, our hero reaches the castle," Nox spoke up whilst indifferently clapping. Like a false Emperor, he sat upon his stolen throne.

"Nice to see you up and about, Onii-sama," Mito grinned devilishly. Up above where the ceiling would normally be- the energy harvested by the mausoleum spiraled like a large galaxy of bright lights. Condensed to the point where being near it was almost hard on the three heroes, that power could essence rewrite reality itself.

"So… you have gathered this World's Evils and harvested that sinful essence for power. Fool, are you planning on becoming a Beast class?" Gil was the first to respond all the whilst summoning Ea and Enkidu to her grasp. If not obvious before, it was clear now that Nox and Mito were dangerous beyond any measure.

Naruto followed his lover's actions by unleashing Vasavi Shakti's larger, true form at the cost of dismantling his armor. "We'll kill you before you get the chance! Now Ichiro!"

"Shadow bind!" Ichiro shouted out. At the same time, Nox and Mito ceased all movement.

"Bind them! Enkidu!" the King of Heroes declared at around the same time in order to further entrap her foes within the nigh-indestructible chains.

"Oh? This is Interesting," Mito giggled innocently.

But Naruto didn't care for in his mind this battle was over.

"On the battlefield, there are no regrets. My mentor and brother Karna, I ask for your forgiveness. I must use your gift against these foul creatures for the first and last time."

"Well spoken my love… I too shall offer this one strike as a means to end these fools! My Sword of Rupture shall rend them apart. The vortex that turns the stars, yes, this heavenly hell signifies their end!"

The King of Heroes and the Dragon Knight charged their strongest attacks till finally...

"Enuma Elish!" / "End everything, Vasavi Shakti!"

A funneling attack of crimson energy that purged space-time merged with the extending golden line unleashed from Naruto's lance. Everything turned to white in that split second as the powers merged together generating an unstoppable force. Even an extremely powerful being like Ichiro had to shield his eyes from the issuing brightness.

Nothing could have survived that attack, not even Nox or Mito.

But even so… intellect would triumph over raw strength.

_"Henceforth… we, abandoned children of the leaf, the Gods of this new world."_

Coming down like a waterfall onto the Angel of Death and his female companion intercepting the colossal powers targeting them.

_"From the evils of humanity, a new beast is born."_

"This– This presence is…" Gilgamesh stepped back showing genuine fright for the first time in a long time.

Once the tide of overwhelming energies had settled down the man known as Nox was no more. In his place stood a being of absolute cosmic splendor and might, a creature whose very body reflected the glory of the many universes within himself. His skin black as the void and dotted with the endless glow of stars. Moreover, his left and right eye were magenta red and sapphire blue respectively. By all means, this being was to those present the truest image of God.

Beside him, Mito Uzumaki seemed to retain her human form but nonetheless appeared to possess a similar cosmic aura outlining her body.

"No… nothing could have survived Vasavi Shakti and Enuma Elish at the same time!" Naruto shouted in disbelief.

"It seems this is the end for you little brother…" Mito grinned at the Dragon Knight, her voice now echoing with potency thanks to the energy she absorbed.

"Naruto…" Gilgamesh called out to him, "It was an honor to fight by your side."

Hearing those words coming from the mighty King of Heroes made the knight gasp.

"There has to be away…" he remarked desperately searching for a way out.

"Naruto… the man you are now cannot best Nox now that they have transcended into the realm beyond the Gods," Gilgamesh put it bluntly.

Turning his gaze to the knight, Nox felt triumphant.

"Lad… you fought like a true champ, but in the end, I was still one step ahead every time. But… I shall nonetheless give you punishment equivalent to the trouble you gave me…"

And with that said, the cosmic God merely pointed at Naruto with his index finger.

"GAH-RAHHHHHHHH!" Naruto howled in unending agony as his body was enveloped by a tantalizing light.

Almost immediately after Naruto's mind eye bore witness to something otherworldly. He could see his other selves, other incarnations of the man named Naruto from across the Multiverse; the Hero of the Sky, the one who followed the Path of Assassin, the Red Dragon Emperor, and even he who became the Seventh Hokage. Like himself they all screamed in agony as the very concept of "Naruto" was crushed under the immense power Nox now had.

Alas…

He saw those other versions of himself turn, all in those infinite parallel worlds destroyed on what can be described as existential or conceptual level. The only one left… was himself- but something had changed.

"I…"

He dropped to his knees, powerless.

"Tell me las, are you familiar with Superstring Theory? In physics the theory that all matter in the

universe is composed of "strings" — these being the vibrations that manifest as the elementary

particles. It is said that if this theory is proven it will explain all phenomena from the birth and scope of the universe on the macro level, to elementary particles like quarks on the micro-level.

With the power I now have… I understand and control it all… I am the God pulling the strings. On a whim, I erased the man named Naruto across every world and left you behind… a man with no power and no name — a worthless failure."

"Nox…" He Who No Longer Had a Name could do naught but mumble.

"I am sorry," Gilgamesh muttered whilst clutching her fists- a tear streaming down one of her cheeks.

"Now watch… as this flawed world is washed away."

With no further delay — Nox snapped his fingers.

And so… the universe came to an end in a brilliant flash of light.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 [Hollow World Saga]: New World, New Life**

The pair of blue eyes of a familiar young man shot open. Though he did not know where he was, the warm and comfy feeling of resting his head against a pillow and laying his tired body on a comfortable bed.

Given the wooden ceiling and general vibe of the place he could guess that he had somehow ended up in a wooden cabin. The young man groaned slightly as he felt a pulsating pain inside his head, however, that initial sensation started to fade the moment he sat up straight in bed.

By his bedside a large rectangular mirror reflected back his confused self. A well defined muscular frame, broad shoulders, and no more than a thin, sleeveless white shirt and dark pants to keep him clothed. At first glance one would be forgiven for thinking of the young man as a soldier in top shape. Further his messy black hair with silver highlights and ocean blue eyes were for lack of a better word- stunning.

"My name… I am…—

He froze.

Whenever he attempted to recall his identity all that came to mind was a bright flash of light. Deep in his core a voice resonated alongside that same pain inside his head.

Then a voice echoed:

_"Now watch… as this flawed world is washed away."_

The blue-eyed man shook his head.

That self-righteous yet witty voice seemed familiar, but his memories were just a blurry mess right now.

Alas the youth shook his head and slowly but surely left the bed and stood up on his own two feet.

The wooden floor creaked slightly as he walked along it and out of a door on the far side of the cabin. Immediately the nameless young man was welcomed by the visage of an island-based village. The beach, the sun, the smell of seafood — it all painted the picture of a stereotypical small town from the beginning of a hero's journey.

A quick glimpse around the place was all it took for the young man to realize that the locals more than likely kept the economy of this minor settlement going thanks to the easy access to the sea.

_"Well then…" _the silver-haired male thought. Truth be told he was half-expecting to be somewhere more dangerous given the amnesia and defenseless state he was in.

Just ahead of him, a tall dark-skinned male with plenty of muscles gave the boy a small greeting.

"Yo you're up! Greetings young friend. Welcome to Flügelgard, home to our lovely village," the man proclaimed full of enthusiasm.

"My name is Tindalos by the way. I hope you had a good rest, Kaito," he added.

"Kaito?" the silver-haired man questioned, confused by that name.

"Well ya see… I found you adrift at sea during a fishing trip after a heavy storm," The fisherman answered.

"Kaito is a strong name that exemplifies your origin as one who came from the sea. Since I didn't know your real name… it just kinda stuck," Tindalos concluded.

"Kaito…okay," The nameless, now named Kaito, spoke in acceptance of his given name. Mostly due to not knowing who he even was.

"How long was I out? And where is this place?" he further inquiries.

"Again, you're in Flügelgard, my friend! The last Island to the northernmost of the Empire. As for how long you have been out? Can't put an exact number since yer ass was already out cold when I found you out at sea, but it has been at least a month since ya been beauty sleeping," Tindalos explained whilst casually popping his shoulder back in place.

"Then… What's the state of the world? How is the Central Empire? What about Night Raid?" Kaito asked rapidly while walking alongside the bulky fisherman.

"Easy there kiddo, and the Empire? Night Raid? That's old news. It has been what — a year or so since Lord Nox took over the Empire and thereafter had all nations disband their armies and serve under him. We call it all the "Nox Dynasty" now… it is crazy how things changed so quickly. Almost like it all happened in the snap of someone's fingers," Tindalos explained.

Kaito felt strange.

Though the world seemed peaceful — it felt hollow somehow.

_"And this Nox person… why does his name bother me so much?"_

Tindalos proceeded to give the boy a quick tour of the village. Along the way, general topics popped up. During such idle chatter, it was disclosed to Kaito that the Nox Dynasty had effectively put an end to all forms of traditional currency and in its spot inserted an economy where trade is king.

By the start of the afternoon, Tindalos and Kaito were sitting on the docks. The older gentleman had given the young man a fishing rod and a bucket full of a plethora of baits to help him catch some fish which he could later trade for various odds and ends.

"Nothing is biting," the young man sighed after half an hour without a single bite.

Tindalos gave the boy a big smile. "Fishing is a matter of forbearance, kiddo. In fact, one who masters the art of patience can overcome the greatest of adversities," he continued.

"How wise for a fisherman," Kaito contemplated sarcastically.

"Some of the wisest of men birth their wisdom from the sea," Tindalos retorted sassily.

By sunset, Tindalos and Kaitos agreed on taking their catches to a shop wherein they could trade for supplies and weapons.

"Alright kid, I can see it in your eyes that you're looking for answers. I think you'll find what you are looking for here, but out in the Capital you might," Tindalos announced as the two artivrd at a stand full of weapons.

Scanning the various tools on the table, something got Kaito's eyes. He saw a short sword with a blue blade and a black handle. The sword looked like it had been through hell as cracks could be seen along its length.

"Oho? You are interested in this old sword?" the weapon shop owner asked.

"It just captured my attention for some reason," Kaito answered back.

"How about this? Give me some of the fish you have and you can have the sword with two weapons free as a bonus," The owner offered whilst putting on a ridiculously forced smile.

"Now I hope you are not trying to rip off someone again, old man," Tindalos quipped.

"Me? Never, Tindalos. I'm a businessman that sales weapons and makes a good trade. It's a good deal! Promise!" The weapon shop owner messed around with the duo.

After buying the sword and a small array of supplies the pair turned in for the day. The mysterious Kaito still had a long journey ahead of himself. It took him a few days but he did manage to gather sufficient resources to afford new clothes, food for his journey, and a ticket for a trip to the core of the Nox Dynasty; the Capital.

Dawning his silver, light armor that protected his chest and abdominal region in addition to a layer of chain mail underneath his clothes, Kaito seemed ready for a war as he stepped onto the boat that would take him to the mainland. A black, hooded trench coat further added flare to his style.

"Damn kid, you almost look like that Dragon Knight fella… try not to go out like him though, don't wanna have to bury you," Tindalos commented as he saw the boy off.

"Dragon Knight huh?" Kaito pondered.

"That title is familiar… I'll find the truth… I'll find out who I truly am,"

His resolve was undeniable.

"Don't worry, Tindalos. You saved me in my time of need, gave me a home, warm food, and clothes to wear… the he least I can do is stay alive so I can return here once I know the truth behind my past."

"Fight on kiddo!"

With that — the two went their separate ways.

A journey of discovering oneself — a quest to free this world of Nox's rule and reunite the shattered pieces of the knight that once was.

Under a new guise, in a hollow world, the Dragon Knight's story begins anew.

...

**Season 2 opening: Hollow World by Aimer**

Memories of the Dragon Knight's adventures break apart like glass as the new journey starts before a black void appears in the sky before the Capital. This world and other worlds become a hollow imitation of their former selves.

**(In this place I have to say?)**

The Dragon Knight gets his armor on and carries his Balmung out with him. Alongside were his two allies, Mine and Leone.

**(My memory wearing off)**

A shadow creature forms and closes in facing the three warriors. The shadow then suddenly changes revealing himself to be Ichiro, awakening from his long sleep.

**(I lost my name)**

Kaito is lost in deep thought. He wonders about how far the road ahead will be before getting up on his feet.

**(In this dark haze that you said?)**

Akame looking at the sky, thinking about her brother figure, the Dragon Knight.

**(I walk like a lost child)**

The King of Heroes is seen walking down the streets by her lonesome before another shadow appears to challenge her..

**(I lost your face)**

Medea hovering in the sky with her cape spread outwards and her mana ready.

**(If everything could be imaginary one)** Assassins of Night Raid get ready to face the armies of Horrors and Shadow creatures. Esdeath and the remaining members of the Jaegers get ready for battle.

**(Can I be resigned to losing end?)**

The Angel of Death, Nox, sits on his throne smiling at those that dare to challenge him. His Servants and army join his side as he marches towards war.

**(Is this where I live?)**

Akame and Kurome walking down the streets with their weapons drawn as the sky begins to crumble.

**(Or is this where I leave?)**

A mysterious red-eyed man standing on the tallest building of the Capital seeing All the World's Evil at work before jumping down.

**(Eternal flame)**

Kaito opens his eyes, his aura and power becoming something far better and stronger as his eyes become like those of a dragon and shine. His mana bursts outwards, a blue flame surrounding him.

**(The hollow world I see, the sorrow deeply I feel)**

Ichiro draws his blade and starts to cut the endless army of Horrors. Mashiro aiding him.

**(Now they're perfectly burned out)**

Medea unleashing a hailstorm of her mana spells onto the Horrors and Shadows while also backing up the Servants and Assassins on the ground.

**(Eternal flame just back in my hands)**

The Angel of Death's Servants facing off against their enemy servants is a massive battle.

**(Like a double-edged sword)**

The war between light and darkness rages on within this new world.

**(I don't care)**

Akame and Kurome facing all the Horrors and Shadow creatures before them together.

**(It's time I must go that way)**

Gilgamesh has flames surround her as she draws out Ea.

**(Because I got ready to break my endless days)**

The Dragon Knight opens his eyes as he swings Balmung unleashing the full power onto his most powerful foe, Nox.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 New Path **

**Lost in The Echo by Linkin Park**

Kaito walked along the dirt road path towards the Empire with his face obscured by his trench coat's hood. He carried the short sword he had recently bought on his back, a broad sword he got off of dead bandits on his right hip and a makeshift spear he made beside the blade on his back. Lastly, a medium-sized supply bag was attached to his shoulder.

The path that would lead to the answers he seeks was ahead of him.

Kaito had been traveling for a week in hopes of reaching the center of the Nox Dynasty. Even now he could not remember who he was, but a feeling in his gut told him that the answers he pursued were in the kingdom ahead of him.

Upon arrival, he was overwhelmed. The capital of the kingdom was massive, filled with businesses, large mansions, and a sprawling urban jungle. Nevertheless, Kaito kept walking while making sure to keep his head as to not draw any unwanted attention. Further, he entered various shady alleyways to avoid patrolling guards. However, his attempts at being subtle would epically fail when he seemingly bumped into someone.

His hood fell, revealing his features. But more importantly, his heart skipped a beat when he saw the person in front of him.

A young girl with long pink hair tied into twin-tails on the right and left sides of her head looked up at him with her mouth gaped open. This was Night Raid's great sharpshooter, Mine, and she looked just as shocked as the young man in front of her.

Be it fate or merely a coincidence – Mine was out shopping for a few things and thought of taking a shortcut through the alleyway in order to avoid groups of people. She didn't expect to meet someone, much less a handsome young man. However, she could tell this was more than just love at first sight.

Memories from another world had begun to spin out of control, and her heartbeat followed along. Somehow it felt as if it had been years since they stared into each other their eyes.

"Mine?" Kaito tested, making sure this was not an illusion. She responded by hugging him tightly around her slender arms. Tears leaving her eyes as the weight of her memories came back in full force. Likewise, Kaito felt that same weight. At first, it was like something or someone was grasping his heart, but soon afterward he felt sadness over his failures, and a deep longing for the girl. This caused the young man to cry tears of happiness and hold on.

"You…?" Mine tried to say his name but she just couldn't. Every time she reached for the truth a fog clouded her every thought.

"I don't remember my old name either, but you can call me Kaito. That's the name I accepted as my own," Kaito explained whilst holding onto Mine like she was his girlfriend.

"Kaito, Kaito," Mine tested a few times before crying out in happiness.

The pair parted ways for a second, leaving some space for each other to start talking.

"Kaito, what happened? The last thing I saw was a white flash and here I am in this kingdom… it's just so different," Mine explained the best she could but it was all far too complex.

"Same here Mine… but for some reason, I can only think of you right now. It's like whenever I approach pieces of my past the closer I get to being whole again," He muttered. Mine blushed slightly at this.

"How much do you remember?" she inquired.

"Not much I am afraid… I know that I was part of a rebellion and that a flash of light changed the world around us. Plus, the name Nox makes me sick for some reason."

"I see. Do you remember saving my life and what happened afterward?"

Kaito thought for a second. "I do actually, and I vaguely recall you saving me as well form soldiers trying to take us," Kaito answered. As a result, turned red in embarrassment as she recalled the events.

"Kaito…" Mine started before letting go of him for a second and grabbing his cloak only to pull him towards her. Kaito's eyes widened at her actions as suddenly his lips were up against Mine's who was kissing him passionately with her eyes closed. On instinct, his arms wrapped around her waist to hold her close.

"I-I-I…really like you Kaito. And you should be grateful for that! I'll never leave you again! I did once, but not this time," Mine vowed when the kiss broke apart.

"Thanks, Mine. I promise the same thing," Kaito said. The pair stayed in each other's arms for a while before they left the alleyway holding each other's hand.

"You sure you don't remember anyone else?" Mine asked.

"Yeah which is weird as I remember you just fine. I think the pieces are coming together, slowly, but I still can't put them together," Kaito replied, doing his best to gather up what little he knew.

Then suddenly an idea hit Mine. Without explaining a thing she started to drag the silver-haired man through the streets and towards a small building.

"Where are we going?" Kaito asked unsure where Mine was taking him.

"We are going to meet someone I know, she'll help you relax and maybe recover a few memories," Mine explained as she continued to drag the young man.

Mine lead her knight into a shop that was empty at the moment. The two into a room where nothing but a lonesome massaging table stood.

"Take off your shirt, lay on your back on that table and wait for me," Mine declared while pointing at the table before she walked to another room. Kaito did as he was told, trusting Mine on this and really hoping her plan would work.

He took off his cloak and shirt before laying down flat on the table. The young knight closed his eyes and waited. He then felt a pair of warm hands rubbing his shoulders down to his back. Kaito soon felt a warm breath hitting his right ear as a chin rested on his right shoulder.

"Missed me, Kaito?"

Kaito froze as once again that feeling warmth overwhelmed him alongside a flow of memories. The good memories caused him to remember the moments he shared in bed with this female.

"Leone," Kaito spoke shortly before his lips were captured by the blonde.

"And there is more…" Leone teased only for Mine to then walk into the room wearing a pink bikini.

"Let's enjoy the moment…" Kaito declared as he brought a blushing Mine into a hug.

This threesome was sure to keep him busy for a while.

Hours later the trio sat outside of the kingdom on small stone rocks atop verdant hills. Mine had her Teigu, Pumpkin in a silver case by her side and Leone had her Teigu-belt on.

"Let's go over some things," Kaito started before speaking again, "The three of us were members of Night Raid, but for some reason, we can't remember much and only know that Nox is somehow behind this."

"That sounds about right. Also, you can't remember anything but only us and a few other things," Mine noted.

"Anyway… it brings up some questions. Like where is everyone?" He continued. Mine and Leone also thought about the same thing until something got their eyes — a sword sheath.

"Where did you get that sword?" they asked in unison.

"Oh, this?" Kaito said before taking the sword out, showing it had some damage to it.

"I traded for it. The shop keeper told me he found it and could never fix it. So he gave me a good deal to trade it for some fishes. I did my best to repair the damage, but I can't seem to fix it."

"Hmmm… Kaito, that sword you are holding is a Teigu," Mine finally said, not believing the knight's luck.

"Really?" Kaito questioned.

"Yep. And from the looks of it, it has seen better days," Leone commented.

Kaito felt something building up within for some reason. He remembered how the Teigu got his attention back in the village, almost like it called to him.

"Let me try something…" Kaito remarked before crossing his legs and placing the sword on his lap. He closed his eyes, calming his heartbeat and clearing his mind. He felt an unknown energy building up within him.

"Remember." A voice spoke in his mindscape, being female and holy that sound like a mother kind of voice and caused the young knight to have this strange powerful magical energy within him.

**Theme of Infinite**

Kaito's eyes snapped open as a strange and powerful energy rush within him. Blue flames surrounded his body and the sword, not harming him as they flowed.

"Goddess Bliss."

The whole sword was repaired in a flash.

"Grand Chariot!" Kaito shouted with fire in his eyes. A powerful blue flame shoots up and a massive dragon surrounded him as the armor materialized onto his body. Leone and Mine were shocked upon seeing what happened before their eyes. They had heard of Carnage Incarnate: Grand Chariot before but seeing it in person was extraordinary.

Before a word could be spoken, the armor faded away in a cloud of smoke leaving Kaito with Grand Chariot's key in hand.

The three then watched the sun setting. While this world may be hollow and have dark secrets, it was still nevertheless breathtaking.

"Sooo, what do you want to do next, Kaito?" Leone raised a question.

Kaito smirked before putting Grand Chariot's key back in its sheath. "We're going to find our friends and get answers out of this Nox," He declared.

With that said, the trio got up with their supplies and headed out. A new path awaited them.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 The Demon Slayer**

Kaito, Mine, and Leone continued to journey along the roads in the countryside. They took great care to remain close to the kingdom's capital while at the same time avoiding the passing Death Trooper squadron here and there. At the moment they had no real goal other than to find clues as to where their friends might be and to restore their hazy memories.

As they strolled along the verdant hills and occasional dirt road, Kaito found himself in a state of deep reflection. After all, he had learned, the truth behind this world seemed to slowly but surely be revealing itself.

_"Nox is definitely the one who's responsible for the sudden paradigm shift in the world. Me, Leone, and Mine all seem to remember a great light rewriting the world... and then here we were, no more than cogs in the machine kept by an overlord who rules this new society._ _As such, he more than likely holds the answers._

_That said, I have a feeling he won't exactly be welcoming me into his castle for a chat over biscuits and tea._

_I have to get stronger, stronger than I've ever been if I hope to stop him. And I also need to gather up people who can stand with me against someone who can end everything with the snap of his fingers."_

"I don't think we'll find our friends in the capital... I was already absurdly lucky to run into you two," Kaito finally broke the silence as they continued to move across a dirt road surrounded by trees and dense foliage.

"I think you're right... if they were around these old' parts we should have seen them by now, but who knows right? Trying to find someone in the great city is like finding a needle in a haystack," Leone remarked.

"Indeed and—

Kaito stopped in the middle of his sentence as the three came upon something that got their eyes. On a nearby tree, two wanted posters were pinned to the trunk by a knife for bounty hunters and law enforcement. The first read; 'Red-Eyed Killer, Akame. Wanted for Treason & Rebellion against the Nox Dynasty. The second read; 'Rogue Death Trooper; Ame. Wanted for the murder of high-value targets within the Dynasty'.

Akame — that name caused the trio to grasp their craniums and flinch in pain as a sharp headache boomed through their brains. Recollections of the world that once was, memories of the Red-Eyed Killer who could cut through any in her way. They couldn't get a clear picture, but one thing was certain, she was their friend and someone they can trust with their lives.

The name Ame, however, did not seem to ring any bells, but given her Wanted status she was one to keep an eye out for at least.

"Well we know one of them it seems. I hope this Akame is still out there..." Mine pondered to herself.

"I remember a few things about Akame, a few faded memories, but I know she is badass and can take care of herself," Leone explained as a few memories of them partnering up appeared in her mind. She had a feeling that they would meet again someday down the road.

After a moment of silence, Kaito took a deep breath and stretched his arms.

"Well we'll need to get some supplies if we plan to travel further into the countryside," he proposed.

"Sounds like a plan. I know a few places that are safe for us to trade supplies and avoid law enforcement," Leone added. Even in this new world, she was still an expert when it came to dealing with shady individuals in the black market.

"Cool," The young knight noted before the blonde took hold of his right arm.

"And maybe I could show you some other things~," She teased.

"Hey!" Mine shouted as she hugged the left arm not wanting to be left out of the relationship. Kaito smiled knowing full well that being their lover would be no easy task.

Little did they know that a certain someone was watching over them with great interest.

A few days would come and go before the trio could rest again. In that time all they could really do was take on any jobs they were given or hunt to gain enough trade supplies to exchange for what they needed. At one point Leone almost dragged Kaito into a lingerie store but Mine thankfully stopped her. Right now they enjoyed lunch in a small restaurant that was perfect lay low for them.

"There's a lot of ground to cover and we might need a guide to help us travel around... but now we have the supplies to keep us going for two months," Mine analyzed.

"Agree, we will look for a guide after lunch, but for now try to get some downtime before we head out," The young knight asserted which the girls nodded in agreement.

In another two hours, the trio was out on the road that would lead them beyond the countryside areas surrounding the outskirts Capital.

"Hey Kaito," Mine called out.

"Yes, Mine?"

"You know we are being followed, right?" Mine asked whilst reaching for the case wherein she kept pumpkin.

"Yeah, I know. We have been followed since we first... I count six guys," Kaito analyzed.

"Six? I think it's seven," Leone corrected him.

"Seven huh? I must have missed one. Maybe it's a little guy hiding behind the bigger bald one," the knight joked.

"Well... it's time for a workout," the wild woman said with a smirk as her Teigu activated giving way to her animal-like form to emerge.

"I have been dying to do this for a long time now," The sniper said with a smirk before she pulled out her Teigu out of the case. Kaito likewise went on to quickly unsheath his Teigu and said.

"Let's go!" he shouted. However, before the three could do anything, they stopped as they heard bodies hitting the ground. All the Death Troopers had their throats slit in the blink of an eye.

"Okay... what the fuck?" Kaito spoke out loud.

"Yeah but...wait a second," Leone remarked before taking a deep sniff in order to get a new scent. The wild woman smelled the clean air, blood, and something flowery that hit her nose.

"What is it, Leone?" Kaito asked while still being on guard.

"I smell someone... and she is nearby," Leone answered before taking off north towards where the scent went.

"Wait for us Leone! Wait! Kaito let go of me!" Mine shouted as the knight carried her like a princess and ran to catch up with the lioness. Kaito had activated his armor to keep up with Leone.

The three soon ended up on a large open field. At the heart of it, they soon saw someone they never thought would cross paths with. A young woman with midnight blue hair with cyan highlights and cyan color eyes. She wore a white sleeveless top with a high neck. Overtop, she wore a dark purple straight-lined black jacket and hakama pants that were tucked into a butterfly pattern fabric around her lower legs. Moreover, she also had on a white haori with a butterfly wing pattern.

_"The Rogue Death Trooper... Ame,"_ Kaito thought.

The Rogue could tell that they knew of her but that didn't seem to bother her in the slightest mind.

"Before we clash... here is a song for the knight in shining armor and his allies."

Confident yet calm and collected, her voice oozed with a silent passion. Without any doubt in her eyes, she sheathed her sword and closed her eyes.

On that hot afternoon, the mysterious Ame began to sing without fear of her pursuers.

I Beg You (By -English)

_"Give me pity_

_As if gentle touching a little fallen bird_

_Give me such a sadness_

_Tears in your eyes_

_Looking down_

_Saying I'm so pitiful_

_I don't mind even if you kick me around with your shoe_

_It's fine even if they're dirty_

_I'll take your muddy hand_

_Hey let's dance in a circle_

_Let's eat up_

_All the unsightly rabbles_

_An unbearable amount of spice is just right_

_lie, lie, lie, la la la..._

_The frightened bird_

_Is unable to say things like goodbye_

_Falling silent as a gesture asking for love_

_Thought it was being humble_

_lie, lie, it's a lie, not a lie, it hurts_

_Anyone wants to be hurt badly_

_And then go to a gentle world_

_Let's melt into one_

_Let's stuff our mouths_

_With love and hatred, we munch on_

_Inside a jar of sweet sweet chaos_

_lie, lie, lie, la la la..._

_Because you laugh vaguely_

_I feel like seeing you_

_I know you're here to stay with me_

_I just want to be loved_

_Lie, lie, lie, you're to be with me_

_Where lightning blossoms_

_A wretched and heavenly feeling_

_Only love needs to remain_

_Just sadness accumulates quietly_

_Simply burying wishes and regret in it_

_Even the scars from the spring day long gone_

_Where we tied our bond, disappears_

_Soon we'll be in a sparkling dream_

_The light rotting off_

_Is supposed to reach you_

_It's so bright_

_And my tears won't stop_

_Hey, please stay by my side_

_Take my muddy hand_

_Don't let go_

_Please stay by my side forever_

_Don't let go_

_It gets dark, stay with me_

_Don't let go, I can't see_

_Just stay by my side forever_

_Don't let go_

_I just love you_

_Forever."_

Her melody rang with precision, she was a graceful butterfly. Naturally, the young knight blushed a little in amazement while the girls were stunned by such an artful display. After Ame was done, she took a bow and opened her eyes to see the travelers before her.

"Hello there," she greeted with a warm smile. The three blinked for a minute before getting out of their awe state of mind and speech.

"Hello Ame, my name is...," Kaito started but before he could even react he found Ame aiming her sword at him. He didn't panic but instead held his hands up and deactivated his armor.

"You're Kaito, I know that much," she said.

"We're not after the bounty. We were just wondering why you helped us back there?"

"You three are quite an interesting group. I have been following you three since you left the capital, figured you were rebels that might need help," Ame explained only to then ultimately sheath her katana once again.

"You need a group, right? How about joining up with us? We need someone to help us with traveling whilst avoiding Death Trooper routes."

Ame giggled. "Sure smooth talker, but that's only if we make it out of here."

"Wha—

Everything turned to a blur in that instant.

A massive burst of orange and yellow flames engulfed the area where Kaito, Leone, and Mine once stood wholeheartedly. The power of that blast not only scorched the earth but open up a massive burning. There would not have been any time to react to that attack, an unavoidable dead-end one may say. However, the girl known as the Rogue Death Trooper and great Azure Trailblazer would beg to differ.

Picoseconds before certain demise came, Ame moved like an incarnation of light itself. She casually sprinted over to the trio grabbing each of them by the hand as time around them seemingly stood still. She then instantaneously darted away with them right in time to avoid the eruption of fire that took place.

By the time it was all over, Mine had to throw up and Kaito was left with his ass on the ground in disbelief as he saw Ame's loomed over her.

"You saved us? I couldn't even see anything..." he proclaimed in shock. Her speed was incredible.

In the distance, a new threat landed amidst the open field. A man with pale skin, blood red, messy hair, golden eyes, and dark pupils loomed over the blazing battlefield. He wore a golden and red cloak over his slim body which itself was covered by Kavacha and Kundala. A living shadow alongside blood red and golden flames surrounded his body at all times giving him a startling look that dripped with strength beyond measure.

Kaito's eyes widened. "You are..." he mumbled.

"That's right, fool," an emotionless and more serious version of his own voice shot back.

"Just like you... I am part of the original Dragon Knight, Naruto Sieghart," he continued.

"But that's...—

" Impossible? Wrong," the fiery man cut him off.

It all started to click suddenly.

The memory of a flash of light.

A broken world.

And a hero who just like this reality is merely a fraction of what he once was.

_"That's right... the original 'Naruto Sieghart', his existence was cracked apart when the concept of Naruto itself was eradicated across the multiverse by Nox in his godly form._" Kaito thought as he slowly stood back up on his own two feet.

"Gaze upon me, Remnant! My name is Kogane Amaya... I am the embodiment of the Dragon Knight's vast power given flesh. Kaito Sieghart, you, on the other hand, are merely the humanity of the knight... your power is beyond lacking. To absorb you here and now would give me no gain," the fierce male, Kogane, proclaimed as he slowly approached with a spiral of fire and shadow swirling his overpowering presence.

"Looks like you already know each other... good," Ame shined in, "I can hold him back for a while, but we can't win against that kind of power as we are now."

Kaito sighed. "No way we can escape either... looks like it's do or die."

Humanity versus Strength.

Soul versus Body.

The war of the Dragon Knights begins.

* * *

**Ame's Bio**

_"Revenge is naught but hollow emotions... for once it is fulfilled there is nothing left for the victor."_

**Background:**

A protagonist of a different story — Ame was originally born in the north to a young couple of entrepreneurs.

At the time her father formed a business alliance with the Prime Minister and as a consequence, Ame became acquainted with Honest's son, Syura. It was later decided by the old man that the two would marry when they became adults.

In hopes of escaping his obligations and indulging in his business life, Ame's father killed her mother and abandoned Ame and her younger brother Kai when they were young. He then proceeded to do business in the Capital.

Some time afterward Ame and Kai had to fend off a danger beast attack by themselves. Due to their extreme poverty, they ended up feeding on their flesh. As a result, Ame developed immunity to poisons and Kai gained super speed.

Later on Ame's little brother Kai was tricked into eating poisoned food and soon after her village was destroyed by Aria's family which led Ame into a path of revenge. To that end, she drank the liquid from a vial containing the Extract Teigu known as Water God: Kõri no Ha (Ice Blade). However, the Teigu rejected her and the only reason she survived was due to her resistance to poison.

Kõri no Ha was a Teigu made from the blood of Aquadox, a danger beast so powerful it was truly self-aware and considered itself a god amongst simple beasts.

Ame spends the next seven years in search of revenge against the family that brought the death and destruction of her home. In that time, she was able to establish a hidden orphanage outside of the Capital for children who had lost their parents to crime in the Capital or during the war.

In the original world — Ame never crossed paths with Night Raid but she was there to witness the death of Aria and her family from the sidelines. With their demise, her need for revenge was, at last, satisfied and she could spend her days helping in the orphanage and singing for any who'd listen.

Syura is still trying to get her to be his wife, but she always turns his down.

In Nox's altered world — Ame's orphanage was burned down when Syura followed her there and exposed it to the Empire. Thus she was angered to her limits and joined the puppeteer's army of Death Troopers to end Syura. However, after learning of Nox's shady nature she decided to go rogue.

**Personality:**

A killer confident in her skills - Ame is commonly quite stoic, but in reality that is due to her keeping her thoughts to herself. Deep down she suffers just like anyone else. She can also come across as uncaring, but most of the time this is because she is emotionally closed off due to the death of her six-year-old brother, Kai.

Once fully acclimatized to a group she becomes more communicative and can often be brutally honest when needed to those she considers her precious allies which may lead to some tension.

**Appearance:**

Ame wears a white, sleeveless top with a high neck. Overtop, she wears a dark purple straight-lined black jacket and hakama pants that were tucked into a butterfly pattern fabric around her lower legs. Moreover, she wears a white haori with a butterfly wing pattern.

The only accessory she wears is a blue crystal pendant. She has a tattoo of three fancy snowflakes on her right collarbone, the tattoo is the stigma of her Teigu.

...

**Character Data**

**Name:** Ame

**Origin:** Dragon Knight, based on the original character created by Jenn Snow (Jenn_is_Starry_Music)

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** Late teens

**Height:** 157 cm (5'2)

**Eye color:** Cyan

**Hair Color:** Midnight blue with cyan highlights

**Family:**

Mother (Deceased)

Father (Alive)

Kai (Deceased little brother)

**Status:** Alive

**Faction:** Rogue

**Cover:** Street Musician and Orphanage

Caretaker

**Teigu:** Water God: Kõri no Ha. An Imperial Weapon that gives the user the ability to manipulate water and ice. Kõri no Ha is an Extract Teigu. It also has the potential to manipulate any liquid including blood inside someone and humidity in the air.

**Classification:** Rogue Death Trooper, Human Ryu-Jin hybrid.

**Notable Abilities & Techniques:**

-Has perfect photographic memory.

-Can sense the death of others.

-Can create ice spikes from any direction or location allowing her effortlessly impale or dismember foes.

-Her Ice dragon construct can be used to fly

-When possessed by Aquadox, Ame's body changes. Her hair extends out forming wings and her pupils gain the shape of dragon wings crossing over each other. Large spikes line her spine and a black dragon's tail wraps around the left leg.

-Furthermore when awakened Aquadox creates a cage of ice around the area where all life is killed by extreme cold.

-While possessed, Ame can use a move called Shadow Vapor - which is basically a condensed beam of black smoke and dark energy powerful enough to turn gigantic foes into dust.

-Ame can provide healing to others by licking their wounds. The same should apply to her own battle injuries.

-Ame can use an ability called Dark Rain — which summons a poisonous rain that can kill or poison a target on contact.

-Ame also has an attacked called Liquid Stalagmite which consists of hardened poisoned liquid in the form of spikes converging on the opponent. This is usually used in tandem with Dark Rain.

-Ame's true Trump card, Over Blood, is locked because her Teigu never truly accepted her as its owner.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 Shadow and Void: Hope has come**

**War of Change by Thousand Foot Krutch**

Kaito, Leone, Mine, and Ame gaze at the terrifying figure of a spearman cloaked in a spiral of fire and shadow. His overpowering presence alone was more than enough to make the quartet of would-be heroes quake in their boots. It was now absolutely clear that Kogane didn't plan on letting them run.

"GRAND CHARIOT!"

With a thunderous shout, Kaito donned his armor in a burst of sapphire blue light. He was astonished by Kogane's strength, but he nevertheless evoked great courage from his warrior's heart by cracking his neck and popping his shoulders back in place. Likewise, Leone, Mine, and Ame readied themselves for the fight of their lives.

In the meantime, Kogane merely grinned. "Grand Chariot huh? To think an aspect of the great Naruto Sieghart would be weak to the point where he has to use that tiny toy? You're deserving of pity, but I will give you none!"

Kogane mocked his other self before the spiral of flame and darkness swirling around him merged into his body. This power then expanded outward into an aura composed of the two energies used to make it.

The spearman launched forward like a missile.

He was fast — too fast. Kaito, Mine, and Leone were like statues frozen in time compared to him. However, Ame was different. By focusing ever so slightly she manifested a layer of ice under her two feet which allowed her to not only move fast like she normally does but further gain speed by sliding across the ice of her own making.

Before her comrades could be turned to subatomic dust, Ame weaved her fingers in a blur of motions that created what seemed like a flowing spider's web made of water. The liquid froze as it wrapped around the trio which allowed her to yank them out of the way.

As for Kogane's attack, he had built too much momentum to stop his blazing charge. Alas he collided with the trees in the distance creating a massive explosion that formed its own mushroom cloud. It would be no exaggeration to say that any and all animals, travelers, roads, or even towns around twenty-five kilometers north of the open battleground were incinerated in an instant. Not to mention the potential forest fire left in the wake of the blast.

Once again, Mine and Leone were disoriented by, what seemed to them like, a sudden change in position. One moment they were watching Kogane's charge and the next they were south of a massive explosion. Nonetheless, this was their one chance.

"I'm always stronger when in danger and this is the most I've ever been in! Let's go Pumpkin maximum power!"

Seeing an opening for herself — Mine brought out Pumpkin in Single-Fire mode, took aim, and in an instant unceremoniously pressed the trigger. Alas, a colossal energy beam that appeared to dwarf all of the mountains in the distant horizon was fired.

"I see," Kogane nonchalantly muttered to himself as he walked back into the battlefield only to see Mine's attack coming for him.

"A pointless effort," he remarked whilst lowering his guard only to take her ultimate move at full force. Kogane merely strolled through the blast like it was a light breeze.

"That's…" Mine was left speechless. She had given her absolute most and it still wasn't enough.

Using the burning woods as cover, Leone dashed around the open field only to leap into the air and attempt to strike Kogane's back. The Spearman appreciated such acts of bravery, but he could also not help but feel she was being foolish to attempt an attack like this against someone vastly more powerful than herself.

"Useless!"

In one swift motion — Kogane grabbed her by the neck and held her midair. His mere grasp being almost enough to snap her neck.

"Let Leone go!" Kaito shouted as he dashed towards Kogane. The armored warrior punched him square in the face which caused him to let go of Leone who was left on her knees coughing for air.

Despite his enhanced strength, Kaito's strike left no damage. That said, it did get Kogane's attention.

The flames around Kogane flared outwards which forced Kaito to use his arms to shield himself as he was propelled backward and blasted away. In much the same way, Leone was launched against a tree. She was out cold for the moment, but luckily not dead. The circumstances were still dreadful though.

By her lonesome Ame closed in on the Blazing Spearman. A layer of ice spikes formed around her blade as she swung it down on the dark warrior only for it to be met by an upward thrust of his spear. Their clash was so incredibly potent it went on to produce a shockwave that cracked the ground beneath their feet forcing Ame and Kogane to jump back.

"Hmmm… you are quite good for a traitor," Kogane noted whilst he and Ame landed about ten feet away from each other.

"Traitor? Kogane… I'd rather be a rogue that lives her life freely than a slave to another man's cause," Ame proudly proclaimed as her cyan gaze deadlocked against his blood-red hues.

From afar, Mine reached for her case and switched Pumpkin to sniper rifle mode in one quick motion. Afterward, she swiftly took aim at Kogane's head and prepared to pull the trigger. However, before the self-proclaimed genius sharpshooter could attack, a beastly shadow took from right in front of her and slashed her weapon away with ease using its claws.

Mine herself would soon groan in pain as she too was smacked into the ground by the beast. The shadow had red eyes and possessed the long form of a wolf that was connected to Kogane by his shadow.

"Dammit!" Mine screamed out loud as she rolled on the ground in hopes of grasping Pumpkin. But the moment she managed to open fire on the dark wolf — her bullets merely flowed right through it like the beast wasn't even there.

"BRAHMASTRA!" Kogane's mighty shout brought Mine back to reality.

"KOHRYU!" Ame's voice followed right after.

At the heart of the battlefield — a dense beam of fire was launched out of Kogane's eyes. At the same exact time, Ame gathered the humidity in the air and created water around herself. From that flow, a giant Chinese Dragon purely made out of ice formed and launched itself into the blazing hellfire. The result? A clash of fire and ice unlike any other.

Ame pushed herself to the limit, her eyes shedding tears of blood as she endlessly generated more and more ice dragons to push Kogane's blast back. The Red-Eyed Spearman, however, was unfazed as he kept his eye blast going without issue.

They would not last like this.

Ame could only fight someone like Kogane for so long. Mine faced a shadow wolf looming over her. Leone was near death. And Kaito… he gritted his teeth in anger.

_"Am I really this pathetic? Am I going to let my companions die again? Am I really inferior to the version of myself that is nothing but strength with no humane restraint?"_

He was lost.

Beaten again and again.

A weakling loathing his own frailty.

_"I…—_

_**" Raise your head, Dragon Knight."**_

_"Huh?! That voice—_

_**"Kogane is no more than the strength I had, my body without my mind or my soul. You on the other hand, you're my soul."**_

_"Naru..to?"_

**_"I am you and you are me, Kaito. I may have been broken, splintered, crushed because I saw myself as this invincible warrior who'd triumph over anything as long as I believed in myself… but that was my arrogance getting the better of me. That vanity was what made go to Nox without considering any other alternative, without seeking help from my family in the Throne. But you… you'll succeed."_**

_"How? I don't stand a chance without your power."_

_**"That's where you're wrong, Kaito. You now face my arrogance given flesh… but you are my soul. Transcend that which has bound you so far. Realize that you are the best of me and that you can rise to levels beyond anything I could ever dream."**_

_"Naruto…"_

_**"Kaito… a name that means sea. Will you now comprehend its vastness or will you drown like I did?"**_

"..."

His heart raced as he stood back up on his own two feet.

"If I don't… who will?!" Kaito shouted whilst reaching out with his right hand.

"Take form! Balmung!"

White flames engulfed his entire body as the legendary sword formed within his grasp, but more than that something had changed. Grand Chariot was flooded with the power evoked by the soul of Naruto Sieghart; thus making the impossible a tangible reality. The armor that was formerly unable to evolve due to already having reached a state of equilibrium had begun to morph, mutate into something far beyond what it was.

Overtaken by the light of Balmung, the armor of Fafnir, and the pure yet nigh-impossible existence of a soul without mind or body — Grand Chariot ceased being a mere Teigu. Taller, more imposing, the armor was heavier, with broader shoulders and a more muscular frame. Its plates were now pure white with golden ornaments across its length. Further, the excess power manifested as a long, bluish-white hair-like energy instead of a simple aura.

"This is my all… DRAGON ALMA!" Kaito's shout resonated like thunder in a lightning storm. All present could do little more than watch in awe.

In a flash of light, Kaito had warped over to Mine and blasted away the beast looming over her with a beam of bright golden energy unleashed from his fists.

"Thanks…" Mine muttered in surprise, but by the time she had finished his sentence, Kaito had already teleported over to Ame like a flash of light. Picking her up like a princess, Kaito merely turned his back to the oncoming Brahmastra beam letting his back take its full power.

"Woah… where did this upgrade come from?" she giggled.

"I needed a little pep talk from myself. Now let's finish this… I'm not sure how long I can keep this form."

Putting her down — both of them immediately turned and rushed at Kogane.

"So the weak soul finally awakens… very well! This time I'll amplify it a hundredfold! Take my Brahmastra!"

Once more the overpowering heat blast was unleashed but this time the pair facing it found themselves prepared to circumvent it.

"With me, Kaito!"

Calling forth another Chinese Dragon ice construct, Ame jumped on top of it alongside Kaito. The two swiftly surfed over the energy blast and when they got to Kogane—

"Here goes!" the two jumped simultaneously. Kogane tried to redirect the blast, but by the time he could do so, Kaito had already warped beside him.

"Balmung!"

Siegfried's legendary blade revealed itself in a new form when it sprung out its large blade out of Kaito's gauntlet. The godlike warrior then slashed away at Kogane without delay. But this was not the end.

"Got you!" Ame declared openly when her hand was placed on Kogane's back. The spearman had no time to react as in less than a femtosecond his whole body was covered in water and ice before being completely frozen.

Ame and Kaito sighed in relief before joining up.

"That won't be enough to stop him. Our attacks still can't get past his armor and even when we do the damage he seems to regenerate instantaneously." Kaito admitted knowing that Kogane's flames could burn the ice off with no problem.

"True… but it will give us time to escape. Can you carry Leone and Mine?" Ame asked.

"I can move, lover boy," Leone informed from the sidelines with a smirk as she got up with her wounds all healed up thanks to her Teigu.

"Good… now let's move fast," Kaito commented as he went over to Mine and picked her up in his arms. He flinched for a moment, and before he knew it the divine armor he wore had vanished leaving him only with Grand Chariot on his back. However, the Teigu seemed to now have Balmung's jewel inserted in its pommel which itself was now more akin to that of a classical knight's sword.

"I see… so I can only maintain it for about seven minutes," Kaito pondered.

_"Perhaps mastery will allow me to use it for longer?"_

The group then saw heat rising from the ice. They immediately turned around and observed the block of ice melting.

"Oh shit!" They cursed before trying to run away as fast as their feet would take them. Kogane burst free from the ice soon after with endless fury in his eyes. The monstrous lancer was now out to kill.

In no time at all a pillar of fire shot upwards out of the grass — its flames then splintered into a rain of deadly lava. Kaito and his companions widened their eyes and did the best they could in order to dodge or shield themselves but the exhaustion from the prior fight was taking its toll.

Leone and Ame were barely able to evade resulting in burnt marks over their clothes and skin. As for Kaito, he had used his body to shield Mine and was paying the price for it by feeling his skin and clothes burn. He grunted in pain but by taking deep breaths he managed to keep calm.

"Kaito!" Mine cried out seeing her lover hurt.

"It'll be alright Mine," he spoke reassuringly while forcing himself to smile. Mine could tell that he was lying. Despite his great feats against Kogane, it seemed that his body was now close to shutting down due to fatigue. Mine could only hold his hand to show her support.

Kaito felt at peace when holding her hand. The pair soon got up on their feet once the rain fire ceased. They might not make it out alive but they refused to give up.

The young knight bravely pointed his Grand Chariot blade at Kogane whilst the girl by his side readied Pumpkin for the next bout. Likewise, Ame and Leone joined his group once more.

Kogane seemed to be oozing hatred as shadow and flames merged as one and flowed around him. Soon he would lose all sense of reason.

"I vow to keep trying, but I won't be blinded by pride. I will surpass the man I once was and end Nox's regime… Kogane, I'll say this once; join our side… with someone like you, we can save the world and make things right," Kaito proposed.

"No! I don't care about this world… all I want is to kill that bastard! Our father, Minato! Nox, Mito and I plan to end him…"

"What?!" the Dragon Knight was shocked, "I thought that since Mito is with him… that Nox was on Minato's side."

Kogane laughed out loud at such a suggestion.

"You know nothing Kaito Sieghart! The reason Nox did all of this, to begin with, was so he could free you of restraint, to create a version of you that would crush Minato and the world of Ninja with no room for remorse or forgiveness. He erased the concept of Naruto across every world and used the splintered aspects to make the ultimate weapon… me.

Together with the almighty, multiverse eradicating power he and our sister Mito now possess — we'll destroy our father across all of time and space, in each and every fucking reality!"

"That's… insane. Why would Nox hate Minato so much?" Kaito asked as he clutched his fists to which Kogane laughed half-heartedly.

"Don't you fucking get it? Nox is just like Naruto was — a child born without chakra and left to die in the wild until he was saved by Alaya and the Counter Force. And let's just say that… Kushina wasn't our Minato's first bitch."

Kaito's heart sunk.

"Then Nox is my—

"Our older brother… correct," Kogane completed the sentence for the distraught knight.

"Kaito…" Mine and Leone looked over to their confused lover.

"But then why am I here if he only needed you?"

"You should know. One's existence is composed of Body, Mind, and Soul. By splitting them into more than one being you have to account for the others. Worry not though — I will end you here and now. There is no need for you and _**the other one**_."

_"The other one? If he is the Body and I'm the Soul then the Mind must still be out there,"_ Kaito noted mentally.

"Nothing to say? Then… let us end this!" Kogane prepared for another Brahmastra. However, before anything could happen the sound of a sword being drawn echoed in the wind.

In the middle of the two groups stood a man wearing armor that covered him from head to toe. The armor was a sleek, form-fitting and white on his head, shoulders, abdomen, upper legs, and feet. He also wore a traditional hakama and a black bodysuit. His helmet had two horns on it and long silver hair tied back into a ponytail.

"Stand down Nemesis… Kaito is my problem to deal with," The strange armored man pronounced. He veered his attention to the inexperienced knight right as a blue aura streamed around his metallic body.

"I am the white void… I am the cold steel… I am the perfect sword… with blade in hand, I shall reap the sins of this world and cleanse it in the fires of destruction. I shall kill you, Kaito and save everyone. I am Albion… your end has come!" he shouted before dashing towards his target.

_"Is this the other one? No… I don't feel the same kind of connection with him as I do to Kogane,"_ Kaito reckoned. Using whatever stamina he had left, the youthful swordsman met Albion's large blade.

Kaito swung from left to right in a horizontal motion whereas the so-called White Void attacked him from the opposite side. Sparks rose into the air as steel clashed against steel, the two pushings each other's blades as they were deadlocked in place.

"Hmm, you've grown quite strong after that odd mutation. However—

The untrained knight hardly had time to react before Albion swept him off his feet and slammed the blunt side of his blade against his chest sending him flying back first against a tree.

_" Damn… he is just as strong as Kogane… maybe a bit stronger actually,"_ Kaito speculated as he coughed up blood. Hardly a second would expire before Albion towered over him ready to seize his head.

However…—

"Wha— Dammit!" The White Void shouted in shock as his body was suddenly held in place by the manifestation of strange alchemical chains carved out of violet light. These ethereal bonds dragged Albion away from Kaito all the while he squirmed trying to escape.

"Damn you!" Albion shouted knowing full well who it was that stopped him.

"Albion, Kogane… that is quite enough for today," a soft yet well-spoken and confident feminine voice echoed as an adolescent female strolled out of the shadows and entered the battlefield. She seemed to be a young maiden with brunette hair. Her left eye was blue whereas her right eye was concealed by a large black eye-patch. Notably, she donned the ensemble of one of the generals from Nox's Dynasty which was analogous to Esdeath's outfit except black and more strict with the amount of skin shown. She moreover wore a pair of dark, thigh-high stockings.

"…Seiko…" Kogane called out to the female as he clutched his own chest. The anger and overflowing darkness appeared to finally be overcoming any sense of reason he had prior to the fight.

"Yes… Kogane it's me. It's over, for now. No more fighting," Seiko spoke kindly to calm the flames around the warrior. After that, she patted his head and held him close.

"Make sure to keep Nemesis on a hard leash, Commander," Albion ordered before sheathing his sword and walking up to them.

Seiko narrowed her eyes at the white warrior and voiced her thoughts. "His name is Kogane, Albion. You better remember that."

"I'm not afraid of you, Seiko Ubiquitous. Nemesis is the name Lord Nox provided him. All in the Dynasty call him that and I have been ordered to do the same," Albion announced before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Seiko sighed in relief before noticing her hand was close to Kogane's, but she yanked it back and turned her attention to the quartet of exhausted and wounded troublemakers staring at her.

"Defeating you four like this has no meaning. Heal your wounds, become stronger, and then come back to the Capital. Kogane and I will be waiting," Seiko openly challenged them despite being outnumbered and the fact that Kogane seemed to have lost much of his explosive power after calming down.

"That Albion said your name is Seiko Ubiquitous, correct? Are you by any chance related to Seryu Ubiquitous?" Mine inquired out of curiosity.

"Oh, so you're familiar with my little sister huh? That brat is something else I tell you…" Seiko sighed in annoyance, "I'm sure you'll be seeing her soon."

"What do you mean?" Kaito spoke up.

"He'll tell you…" Seiko remarked as if this little banter was a pointless waste of breath.

Alas, before any more questions could be asked a living lightning bolt rushed through the battlefield taking Kaito and his team somewhere far away.

**...**

Far to the north inside a reformed cave that once belonged to a powerful Danger Beast Dragon, Kaito and Ame found themselves sitting on a comfy leather couch while Mine and Leone were next to them on separate chairs. Kaito's back was covered in bandages. Ame, Leone and Mine had a few cuts but nothing that seemed major.

In the distance, they could see a set of various computer monitors attached to the cavern wall. The footage displayed seemed to be that of the outside areas surrounding the cave. Along the length of the oval cavern, there were various pieces of paper, boxes, and wires spread all over the place.

"Welcome all! This is the home of the last force that dares stand against the Nox Dynasty," a masculine voice announced itself. The stranger was a young man with messy blond hair, blue eyes, and an athletic build. He wore a black shirt, blue fingerless gloves, black jeans, and combat boots. Moreover, he used a stylish white and blue jacket over his shoulders like a cape.

"My name is Yousuke Tatsuo… but I'm sure you can already guess who I really am," he casually spoke.

"Yes…" Kaito nodded, "You're the other one that Kogane mentioned… the final aspect of Naruto Sieghart."

Yousuke concurred. Ame, Leone, and Mine appeared a bit confused but the new male of the group took the time to elaborate:

"Before this world came to be… another one existed and in the transition, the man named Naruto Sieghart has split apart. To explain:

Kaito Sieghart, the soul – is an embodiment of his humanity and willpower.

Kogane Amaya, the body – is an embodiment of strength and the instinct to survive.

And lastly, myself, Yousuke Tatsuo, the mind – is an embodiment of the raw skill and intellect that once belonged to the original Dragon Knight."

The explanation only partially cleared things up for Leone and Mine, but Ame managed to follow along perfectly.

"I see… so you're the one who has been building a resistance to take back the Empire," she added.

Yousuke let out a friendly smile. "That is true," he spoke whilst turning to look at a doorway next to his set of surveillance equipment.

"You guys should introduce yourselves… we have a lot of work to do," he remarked. Almost immediately afterward great happiness struck Kaito as Najenda emerged from the room beyond the doorway alongside the likes of Lubbock, Ieyasu, Sayo, Sheele, Chelsea, Susanoo, Luna, Air, Fal, Seryu, and Esdeath. Against all odds, his friends from another life had found their way back to him and that was more than enough to kickstart his old memories.

"Everyone!" he rushed over for a great reunion. Yousuke and Ame could only smile while it happened.

Night Raid was back — now with Esdeath, Seryu, and two versions of the Dragon Knight on their ranks.

Hope had alas been reignited.


End file.
